Separated
by bearsrawesome
Summary: It's Chin's birthday and the 5 0 team arrange a special cruise in celebration, planning to have a fantastic day. But when a bomb explodes and everyone is thrown into the water with no one really knowing where their missing friends are, will they be able to find each other again? Will anyone work out what happened? Steve whump, Danny whump, general team whump and angst
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so this story is kind of based after my other fic 'Hostage Negotiation for Dummies' but if you haven't read it, it has no consequence on this story. This is a little more team whump/angst and this one will probably be done from more than Steve and Danny's perspectives as the team splits up. Please review and tell me what you think.**

Danny was beaming as he watched Kono remove the black-strip blindfold from Chin's eyes. For a second Chin just stood there blinking rapidly-squinting in the sudden harsh sunlight-but his eyes widened in astonishment and glee as he saw the pristine white, gleaming ship, bobbing on the bright blue ocean. The wind was cool and light and the hot, afternoon sun threatened to burn anyone who was unprotected from its glare, and people hurried up the metal gangplank onto the small cruise ship.

The _'upu mea hou _or New Hope, was more like a large yacht than a cruise ship, but the rows of decks and wooden top deck were blatantly designed for sightseeing and tourists who wanted to ride around the island. These trips were incredibly expensive, starting in the early afternoon and returning to the docks late in the evening after numerous diving trips and water based activities as well as sightseeing and a beautiful gourmet dinner. To go out like this was for the incredibly rich-hence why the boats were smaller and more private-and many Hawaiian natives never had the chance to experience them, except for special days… like today.

"Happy birthday, Chin!" Kono, Steve and Danny yelled unanimously, throwing their hands up enthusiastically, large smiles on their faces as Chin's face flashed in realisation and he glowed with joy and anticipation.

"So what do you think?" Steve asked, gesturing wildly toward the ship "Nice place to spend your birthday right?"

Chin hesitated, his mouth agape "I…I don't know what to say…this is amazing! Thank you so much!"

The others laughed and pushed their friend forward, joining a few people and heading toward the ships gangplank. A few other well -dressed looking people glared at the rowdy cheering team as they headed toward the start of the gangplank and two familiar figures waving eagerly at them. The adorable little girl broke away from the beautiful, dark haired young woman, sprinting directly into Danny's arms. Danny clasped his arms around his brilliant daughter as she leapt onto him, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck and clinging on like her life depended on it. Reveling in the pure joy of the moment, Danny stood there for a minute just embracing her, and breathing in her deep, sweet scent, lacing his fingers through her silky hair.

"Hey Danno!" she leant back as Danny stood taller, still holding her up "Happy birthday Uncle Chin!"

"Thank you Grace."

Grace turned back to Catherine who was now cuddling Steve sensitively and stared at her expectantly.

"Aunt Cath, please may I have Uncle Chin's card?"

"Of course sweetie, just a second…"Catherine raised her arm and rifled through the handbag slung at her hip, finally pulling a sparkly pink envelope and handing it graciously to the bouncy little girl "Here you are."

Grace just nodded her gratitude and thrust the pink paper into Chin's already outstretched hand. Chin turned it round, marvelling at the little stickers that decorated the envelope and Steve hovered over his shoulder with a wide grin on his handsome face. It was hard to believe that Steve had been tortured for three days only a few months ago and was still carrying the scars of his final meeting with Wo Fat. Grace giggled cheekily as Chin slid his finger under the top of the envelope and it snapped open, spraying up glitter into the air just as a gust of wind whooshed past and Chin and Steve were coated in multi coloured sparkles. The two men spluttered and coughed, staggering back and trying to brush off the shimmering dust as the others burst into uncontrollable laughter, filled with merriment and their friends confused and uncomfortable expressions. No matter how hard they tried the two couldn't remove the glitter from their clothing and their clothes sparkled making Danny fall back into peals of laughter at Steve's cringing expression.

They eventually managed to collect themselves to board the boat, consumed in amusing chatter and teasing SuperSEAL's appearance, the girly gliiter contrasting with his handsome, muscular exterior. Even Catherine couldn't help but chuckle at her boyfriend's embarrassment as people shot him funny looks from across the boat. Settling down into a line of sunbeds at the top of the boat, Steve finally decided that the best course of action was to remove his shirt and lay there in his shades, his rippling muscles glowing with his bronze tan. Danny glowered at him enviously as a few women sat down nearby, occasionally giggling amongst each other as they looked over at Steve's relaxed form as he laid on the cot. Catherine's face made Danny smile as she glared daggers at the pretty girls huddled across the desk and Grace sniggered loudly, curling up next to Danny in her pink tank-ini and lying her head across his bare chest. Chin and Kono sat on their own sunbeds beside them, talking animatedly as Kono lathered Chin's back in a layer of sun cream before rushing off to the bar to grab everyone drinks.

Danny closed his eyes and toyed with Grace's hair as the boat hummed and the engines jumped into life. The water churned as the propeller turned and soon they were heading out into the open ocean. Danny swore he had never felt so peaceful, so perfect before in his life and for a second he allowed some pleasant thoughts about the pineapple-infested hellhole into his mind as he drifted off. The gushing waves and light, gentle breeze were pleasurable and Danny couldn't help but marvel at the tranquillity of the water and the island as a whole. Grace was breathing softly beside him and Danny adjusted his arm as he cradled her shoulder and pulled her a little closer. Somehow he had managed to negotiate with Rachel to allow him to spend time with her for the entire weekend despite it not being his turn and Danny was determined to make this the most memorable and brilliant day for Gracie.

_Nothing was going to go wrong._


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoop! So all comments so far have been amazing and I am sooo pleased! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews and please keep reviewing, I love hearing from all of you. So hopefully the excitement begins here! Bring on the whump next chapter and don't worry those of you who don't particularly like Catherine, don't worry, she's going to be mostly out of the narrative soon.**

_Nothing was going to go wrong._

The sun was just setting below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the calm ocean and bathing everyone's faces in fiery light. Kono enjoyed the blissful heat on her skin as she sipped leisurely at a cocktail, lounging idly on the sunbed; Grace stood at the front of the boat, staring out into the ocean. The evening had been fantastic; the whole team going diving and snorkelling, throwing themselves into every activity and challenging each other in small, private competitions. Well, technically it was Steve, Chin and Kono going head to head while Catherine observed amusedly from a distance-cheering on Steve-and Grace and Danny splashed around in the cool, revitalising water; just enjoying their quality time together and taking great pleasure in each other's company. It was times like that when Kono half-wished she had a child of her own to cherish so fondly but deep down she knew there would be plenty of time for that, granted her dangerous occupation didn't get in the way rather permanently. When dinner was finally announced, 5 0 were the last ones to climb out of the water, and they all emerged-including Danny surprisingly-rather resentfully but soon cheered up as they caught the delicious scent of the freshly cooked meal on the light breeze.

The dinner had been divine. Setting alight everyone's taste buds in a blaze of flavour and aromatic seasoning that they had all sworn was one of the most delicious things they had tasted in their lives. These trips weren't expensive for nothing. After they all ate their fill and even Catherine had a slight bloated bump on her slender stomach, they sat back in the chairs and toasted Chin's birthday together, as a family, an ohana. Music began playing and soon everyone was on their feet and dancing, swaying and jumping around in rhythm along with a majority of the other guests and after an hour Kono became incredibly hot and dizzy as she finished another extravagant spin and collapsed into Chin's arms.

"Thanks cuz'," she gasped breathlessly, fanning her flushed face "I'm just going to go outside for a bit, get some fresh air."

Grace appeared beside them and seized Kono's hand in her sweaty palm and looked up at her innocently "Can I come with you Aunt Kono? I'm really hot and it's really crowded in here."

Kono smiled warmly, wrapping an exhausted arm around the little girls shoulder, ushering her through the dancing crowd and empty tables-collecting her cocktail from their table- and out onto the vacant deck. Grace instantly ran up to the very front of the boat and leant against the metal railing as Kono flopped onto an unoccupied lounger, drinking the sweet liquid in her cup and staring at the clear, open skies all around. She was just getting her breath back when suddenly there was a heavy clunking sound and the New Hope began to slow into a crawl, the harbour just visible in the skyline ahead. Sitting up straight, Kono strained her ears to hear the sound of the engine or any other kind of mechanical activity, but instead discovered silence. The other passengers began to notice and tentatively crept out on deck, interrogating the staff for answers for which they had none. The rest of the team slunk among the crowd, uttering calming words and flashing their badges in promises to find explanations for their unexpected halt. Kono waved Grace over and the group collected in the middle of the deck, huddling up so the conversation was more private.

"Danno, what's going on?" Grace asked softly, concern sparkling in her bright, energetic eyes.

Danny glanced at Steve and put his hands on his hips, shifting uncertainly "I don't know Monkey but don't worry Danno, Uncle Steve and Uncle Chin will go check it out."

"Yeah Gracie," Steve continued with a weak smile "Stay with Aunt Kono up on deck while we go take a look around. Catherine, do you mind checking with the Captain and seeing if they need any assistance?"

Catherine nodded her face stern and serious "Of course," and she nodded before hurrying off toward the bridge, pushing through the steadily growing crowd.

"Danny, Chin-you guys take the upper decks while I check out the engine room. If we don't find anything in ten minutes we'll rendezvous back up here with Kono and Grace." Steve ordered briskly, waiting for the others to nod in acknowledgment before they all split up.

Kono put a reassuring arm around Grace and steered her toward an emptier area on the deck, relaxing against the rail whilst still scrutinising the crowd that shifted around uncertainly, chattering nervously and creating a hubbub of quiet, panicked noise. Grace cuddled closer to Kono and made it obvious she could sense the insecurity amongst the other guests, whilst still appearing relatively calm and maintaining the carefully perfected mask of bravery she often wore when she was away from the intimate company of her father. Ruffling her hair comfortingly and giving her a small squeeze.

Kono opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted as a massive explosion rocked the boat, sending everyone sprawling against the decking and Kono was almost thrown over the railing. Wood splinted and sprayed outward and there was the sound of metal creaking and tearing as the boat lurched to the side and Kono had to grab Grace's arm so she didn't tumble into the now murky water. Everywhere there was screaming and chaos and the air was filled with the smell of burning as the ship listed further and people scrambled around the deck. Clutching Grace tightly against her, Kono ignored the acrid air being inhaled into her lungs and began yelling orders, directing everyone into the life boats. Fortunately, everyone followed her like vulnerable cattle to the herd and soon everyone was piling into the various lifeboats around at dropping down onto the choppy water as the vessel continued to sink. Lifting Grace to safety, Kono momentarily hesitated deciding whether or not to go look for the others but concluded that her prerogative was to protect her teammate's little girl staring at her tearfully. With a heavy heart, Kono elegantly hopped on beside Grace and proceeded to lower the group to the water before organising all the boats a few hundred metres away from the smoking, dying ship as the waves slowly scaled its sides. Along the way they scooped up a couple of drifting survivors and Kono managed to catch a glimpse of a bedraggled looking Catherine along with a man she assumed was the Captain being hauled onto another boat nearby. Her eyes scanned the wreckage and the blackening water but she couldn't spot the rest of 5-0.

_Nothing but the New Hope slowly sipping below the waterline._


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I haven't posted in like…a day…I had a massive history essay on World War II that took me like 3 hours to write so it was like nine o'clock when I finished. Despite it being almost the summer holidays, I have had piles of homework and the trivial things of a typical girl in her mid-teens like family and what-not. Anyway please favourite and review, bring on the whump! Also I meant that I won't be writing from Catherine's perspective and her role will be slightly more minor than the others, I hope that's an appropriate compromise!**

_Nothing but the New Hope slowly slipping below the waterline._

Chin slowly came too, groaning at the throbbing pain in his skull as the blackness dissipated. The hallway was filled with thick, curling, black smoke that obscured everything further than a metre away. Coughing, Chin slowly sat up, hand out in front of him as he squinted against the acrid, burning gases attacking his eyes.

"Danny?" he choked out weakly, his voice raspy with the lack of oxygen "Danny, can you hear me brah? Are you okay?"

When no one replied, Chin slowly inched forward feeling the wall and having to hang on tight as the boat lurched sideways and he knew that the boat was capsizing and gradually disappearing into the depths.

"Danny!" he cried, louder and more desperate this time "Danny, come on we have to go!"

Chin searched for any sign of movement in the smoke as the boat screeched and creaked like a dying animal and Chin became aware of the water flowing past his feet and steadily rising towards his ankles. Cursing, Chin scanned the floor and his eyes fell upon a sooty hand concealed by the smoke and a large piece of metal debris. Heart leaping in his chest, Chin rushed forward, frantically trying to lift the scalding hot metal that bit into his hands. Somehow finding the strength despite his dizziness and lack of air, Chin thanked the Hawaiian gods for leaving him relatively uninjured as he threw the red hot debris off his friend's prone body.

Danny was face down on his stomach, his left cheek pressed against the floor and the rising water lapping over his mouth and nose. Chin crouched down, pressing his fingers into Danny's neck and sighing in relief at the steady but weak heartbeat. Lifting Danny's head out of the water, Chin noted the large gash that was bleeding heavily over Danny's right eye. When it became clear that the New Jersey detective was completely out cold, Chin took a deep breath ignoring the horrid smoke and lifted the unconscious man into a fireman's carry. His shoulders straining under the weight, Chin staggered forward, trying to remember if he was actually heading to the exit. The boat was filling with water from various breaks in the metal caused by the explosion and as Chin headed to the exit the water became deeper due to the awkward angle of the sinking craft. The only good thing about the rising water levels was that it relieved some of the dead weight of Danny's limp form.

"You really need to lay off the malasadas for a while, brah." Chin joked, more to reassure himself than anything else as he waded through the murky, oily water up to the large door.

Another door caught Chin's eye as he passed and he recognised it as the opening to the engineering deck, where they had separated with Steve. A pang of concern hit Chin like a train slamming into a brick wall and he hesitated as he considered going to find Steve. Steve could be injured and trapped down in the engine room, after all that had been where the blast seemed to have come from? But Chin had Danny and Kono and Catherine to worry about-especially Danny-and there was no way that he could carry both Steve and Danny to safety lest Steve be hurt as well, let alone swim them miles to shore if there were no surviving lifeboats. With a guilty sigh, Chin hoped he wasn't foolishly putting too much faith in miracles and his naïve prayer that Steve had escaped, seeing as he had no doubt Steve would no doubt have come looking for the two of them if he had. Forcing himself onwards, Chin focussed his attention on his injured team member slung ruggedly over his back and the adorable, beautiful little girl that was his loving daughter, hopefully waiting for them on the surface.

Opening the door with a grunt, Chin clambered out, struggling against the water rushing down upon him as he emerged into the open air and blackened sea. Chin pushed away from the ship, dragging Danny with him as he tilted sideways and paddled with one arm; hanging onto Danny tightly as he made sure his friend's face was above the waterline and watched his eyes rolling restlessly beneath his closed eyelids and he was muttering inaudible words as he coughed up the water that sometimes sprayed into his mouth. There was a final resolute crunching sound and Chin watched in horror as the New Hope finally disappeared beneath the waves; all that remained of the once magnificent boat bobbing on the surface as in broken chunks. As the once mighty ship was swallowed by the hungry ocean, Chin saw the lifeboats sitting atop the water on the other side. Kono was leant right over the side of her boat, staring intently into the deep water, her eyes wide and tearful.

"Kono! Over here!" Chin screamed, waving his arm in a wide arc and splashing around to draw her attention.

Even from this distance Chin could see the relief spread through Kono's body as she practically jumped up and down, ordering the unfortunate passengers on her boat to row the boat toward them. Chin felt a new energy surge inside himself and he pushed himself onward as they hurried toward the two. Finally they met up and Danny was hauled out of the water and laid in the middle of the crowded boat, Gracie knelt by his side, desperately whispering his name in his ear but Danny refused to even acknowledge that he was out of the water; still tossing slightly and his frowning in his unconsciousness. Kono watched him with a worried eyebrow raise as someone began to treat him with some obvious medical knowledge. Seeing that Danny was alright, Kono assisted in heaving Chin aboard and instantly Chin slumped down in exhaustion, breathing heavily and rubbing the pain in his chest. Kono knelt down beside him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Cuz, are you okay?"

"I…I'm okay." Chin whispered breathlessly "Is everyone safe?"

Kono looked at him uncertainly "We got everyone on deck out of the water and I saw Catherine get out…where's Steve?"

Chin went rigid "I thought he was up here…I prayed he was up here."

"_No," Kono's voice grew more upset "No one else has come up but you guys. I mean he could still be alive, right?"  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Right so the long awaited Steve whump, hope this is okay! Please review and stuff, I want to know what you guys think and whether you want me to ramp it up a notch or keep it simple but nasty. Greatly appreciate all the views and the favourites!**

"_No," Kono's voice grew more upset "No one else has come up but you guys. I mean he could still be alive, right?"_

Steve had seen the bomb too late to do anything useful and had resorted to leaping behind a nearby iron door and covering him head with his arms. The wave of heat that the blast had created was unbearable, flames licking at him through the gap in the door where he hadn't been able to close it in time and the metal door creaked and bent with the impact. That was when Steve had lost consciousness and had fallen into deafening silence, only vaguely aware of some hinted intense pains across his body as he was thrown around the small compartment.

A gradually strengthening agony dragged him back into harsh reality and he was awoken by hot, oily water washing over his face and filling his mouth with a horrible metallic, burning taste. Coughing and spluttering as he expelled the foul water, Steve surged upwards trying to escape the quickly rising water that was flooding in through a large gash in the hull of the ship. The sudden movement caused an excruciating and incapacitating pain up his entire side. Steve instinctively reached to clutch at his side and connected with scalding metal that protruded from his side. Blood seeped from under the blackened sheet like metal that was buried deep in his flesh. The pain was surprisingly mild when Steve didn't touch or move the wound too much and the world span and blurred, so Steve reckoned he was concussed otherwise he would probably be a little more concerned with the injury and his situation. Instead Steve felt strangely calm, of not amused by the entire event…why did things like this always happen to Steve? Was trouble always looking for him?

There were a few minor abrasions across his exposed skin but nothing too life threatening-save the heavily haemorrhaging wound in his side-but Steve deemed it safe enough to move. The pain really kicked in as he climbed to his feet, and he gasped in surprise, keeling over at the intensifying sensation that burnt through his nerve endings. Favouring his entire right side, Steve leaned into the least painful position and limped over to the door. Somehow in the blast, Steve had been catapulted into the wall of the opposite side of the door and the same door had been blocked off by a large shelf like structure; its conglomerate of tools falling into the water and sinking to the bottom of the ever-rising water. Steve stumbled, falling to the floor and sending salty water splashing into his face as he collapsed agonisingly onto to his knees. Gritting his teeth, the ex-SEAL coerced himself to his feet and staggered to the doorway. In a blur of pain and nausea, Steve somehow subdued the raging fire in his side and miraculously succeeded in lifting the fallen structure and manoeuvring it from its blockading position across the doorframe. As soon as the added weight was removed the door burst open, water gushing into the room and Steve had to fight the flow as he slammed the door shut just enough to stem the worst of the flow.

The water level in the cramped room was now at his chest, the water soaking into the wound and debris occasionally swirling into his aching side. The crimson liquid was now merging with the oiled, dirty water and for a second Steve thought about it getting into the open wound and causing infection before he quelled his fears and focussed on escaping his current perilous circumstances; like the fast sinking ship that he was presently trapped on the bottom deck of. The swirling murky water was rising more rapidly now and Steve readied himself for a few moments before stuffing his lungs with oxygen and letting the door free. As soon as the pressure on the door was released once more, it slammed against the side and the torrent of water battered into Steve and was so powerful it almost knocked him off his feet. Teetering slightly, Steve kept his head down and fought the heavy flow of water as the water rushed into the room. Finally Steve pushed out into the engine room and ignored the ravaging pain up his entire body, swimming for the door.

It felt like it took hours to make it to the door and Steve really struggled to pry the heavy door open with the added pressure of the water and the lurching of the boat. His lungs ached and tugged in his chest as his brain begged for sweet oxygen and finally the metal door grinded and juddered open and Steve swam into the corridor. It was nearly completely flooded however there was still a small pocket of air on the ceiling that he desperately swam for. Taking a huge gulp of steadily decreasing air, Steve waited for a moment, trying to catch his breath and gain control of the debilitating pain in his side that was muddling his senses. Steve dived, pushing off the metal and managed to spot a gashing wound in the boats structure that showed the deep blue emptiness of the ocean around. It was obvious that the boat was completely submerged and that the last of the air was disappearing, and Steve knew he didn't have much time before he wouldn't have enough air or energy to reach the surface above.

Swimming out and against the oppressive, gushing water Steve emerged from the base of the sinking New Hope and out into the open, endless ocean. Seeing light glinting above him, sometimes clouded by bobbing debris, Steve desperately spiralled toward the surface, clawing at the harsh, orange sunlight that blinded him. Exhaustion was seeping from his side around his entire body and Steve could feel his eyelids grow heavy and the burning in his lungs numbed along with his entire body. With a final despairing surge, Steve broke the surface with a choking gasp and floundered in the water before latching onto piece of drifting wooden wreckage. Steve lay down, breathing heavily and coughing, trying to expel the water in his lungs as he kept his arms over the wooden board and his head rested between them, legs just dangling in the water. The pain suddenly descended and darkness tinged Steve vision.

_He just had time to groan before he was plunged into darkness, still clinging to the swaying debris._


	5. Chapter 5

**Having a bit of writers block with this one, probably because it's the end of the academic year-something I am very happy about! I officially finish on Friday but yeah…being optimistic! Anyway please keep reviewing because every single one means the world to me and makes my day.**

_He just had time to groan before he was plunged into darkness, still clinging to the swaying debris._

When Danny awoke he was surrounded by pure, blinding whiteness and the smell of antiseptic. He had woken up to this way too many times already and he didn't need to look up to know where he was.

_Hospital._

Why was it that he always ended up in the hospital? Danny swore he spent more time in this building than he did in his own apartment. In consideration, he should probably just move in and save the nurses and doctors the trouble; would save a lot of travelling time. It was hard to think through the fogginess that clouded his mind and Danny felt like he was floating on cloud nine; giggling like a ten year old about how he could sort all his accommodation problems by setting up shop in the hospital. But as the pain flared in his head and Danny became aware of the IV in his hand the aching throughout his body steadily increased and the powerful medication began to wear away into worry and shock.

_How did he end up in a hospital…again?_

Screwing up his face, Danny stared at the ceiling, trying to grasp at the memories concealed behind the drug induced haze and clear his distracted thoughts. Clutching at the white sheet and knotting the fabric between his fingers, Danny listened to the elevated beeping of the heart monitor beside him, as he stumbled around in his mind trying to piece together events.

_It was Chin's birthday…boat…New Hope?...he was sleeping…water…diving…everyone was laughing and swimming around…Gracie was diving…Gracie?_

Danny sat bolt upright in bed, yanking the rubbery tube filled with clear liquid from his skin and causing the heart monitor to squeal in protest. There was a quiet alarm nearby and Danny recognised it as the nurse's station being alerted to his attempt to escape.

_Gracie? Where was she? Did she escape?_

A doctor and two nurses burst into the room as Danny slipped off the bed and tried to stand, however a wave of nausea and dizziness careered into him and almost knocked him off his feet. Fortunately, the doctor was stronger than he looked and managed to catch him before he toppled onto the floor as she nurses tried to steady him and he was pushed back onto the soft bed. With a groan, Danny allowed them to do so, laying his throbbing head down on the crisp pillow and trying to rub the mist from his eyes.

"Gracie…" Danny mumbled incoherently, putting his hand over his eyes to block out the suddenly spiking, harsh sunlight.

There was a symphony of hushed, serious voices before someone pressed down on his shoulder amicably with a thin, slender hand.

"Danny? Can you hear me? You need to calm down brah."

Danny cautiously cracked open one eyelid and inspected the shadow that had fallen over him. Thin strands of black hair fell loosely over one shoulder and Kono's eyes-normally so bright with life-were dull and anxious as they peered down at him with concerned scrutiny.

"Kono?" Danny whispered weakly "What happened? Where's Gracie?"

"There was some kind of bomb on the boat," Kono explained with a quiet, reassuring tone "You were hit on the head during the explosion but Chin got you outta there before the ship sunk. Gracie is perfectly fine, didn't even get a scratch okay? She's with Catherine right now, took all of us to convince her to leave your side and get some rest. Chin's being treated in the room next door for a cut across his back that needs some stitches but he should be in soon. How do you feel?"

Danny couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness in her voice and he could sense the hesitation in her words as if she had to think about every single word carefully before it left her mouth. With a frown, Danny shifted-finally accustomed to the light filtering through the blinds-so that he could talk more comfortably to the young woman who was still leant over him. A nurse still remained, gently grasping Danny's hand a re-injecting the IV before fixing the frantic, bleeping machine and shuffling out the room.

"My head hurts, but other than that I'm pretty much unscathed. Could use with some malasadas and ice chips right now." Danny smiled; relaxed now he knew his precious daughter was safe.

Kono just giggled slightly nervously, brushing her hair behind her ear and avoiding eye contact. There was a tense atmosphere between the two friends and Danny was now certain that she was hiding something. Propping himself on one elbow, Danny tried to lighten the dark mood as he beamed at her apprehensively; calculating ever possibility and his thoughts landed on a certain someone who always seemed to find themselves in trouble.

"It's Steve isn't it? Something's happened to him?"

It was more of a statement than a question and Kono looked up at him, brushing away a couple of silent tears and nodded quickly. The blood rushed from Danny's face as he saw the pure devastation and misery in her features.

Kono sniffed loudly before she made a choking reply "T-They think the bomb was in the e-engine room…Steve…"she coughed wetly and began sobbing "he never came up…th-they think he got trapped, or-or died in the initial blast…either way…they say he's dead Danny! Steve's dead."

Danny tried to understand the words but they were so unnatural that he couldn't possible comprehend them.

_Steve…dead?_

Those words never fit in the same conversation, let alone the same sentence. Two words that almost crushed Danny's spirit in less than five seconds. Danny fell back into the bed, mouth muttering inaudible words and opening and closing in a shock he could not express.

_There was no way Steve could be dead. Could there?_

**Please review. Was I too OOC? Was the reveal emotional enough for you? Danny's going to have an awesome revelation soon so please keep reading! Also have loads of interesting ideas for poor Steve, and most of you know how cruel I am from my last fanfiction. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't posted in two days but I decided I needed some time to work on a Sherlock fic I'm thinking about posting. I broke up from school 1hr 30m ago (it's around 5 o'clock UK time) so I'm pretty happy but very tired! Hasn't quite sunk in that I'm now officially on holiday! Can't wait to just lounge around in the sun and write.**

_There was no way Steve could be dead. Could there?_

Kono finally ran out of tears as she sat in the toilets, teetering on the edge of one of the lavatories, knees against her chest and face buried down toward her lap. After she had told Danny such devastating news-when he had been feeling terrible anyway-she had locked herself in one of the cubicles and broken down. Chin had banged on the door for a time-too much of a gentlemen to enter the ladies room-just calling to her sadly, trying to convince her to come out but Kono remained silent and ignored him through her all-consuming sadness. At one point she thought she had heard Catherine's soft voice whispering her name through the door, though there was no energy in it as Catherine was just as emotionally exhausted and traumatised as she was.

Finally Kono managed to reign in her devastation and wiped away the last of her salty tears. She opened the door to her cubicle tentatively, carefully leaning out to check if anyone was around before heading to the mirror and leaning against the small, clean, white basin. Tear stains ran down her tanned cheeks and her bright eyes were dull and glassy; puffy and red from crying. Kono turned on the tap, watching the flowing water for a moment before splashing the cool liquid on her face and washing away the salt from her skin. Glancing upwards, Kono deemed her appearance as acceptable and hastily tidied her hair before she swiftly left the room, trying hard to swallow the choking lump in her throat.

Chin was sat on the floor opposite the door, legs straight out and head lowered to his chest. Startled, Kono almost cried out and Chin looked up at her, pain and concern written in his sharp features. The dark circles in his eyes betrayed his obvious exhaustion having over exerted himself saving Danny and losing quite a lot of blood from the deep abrasion on his back. Now bandaged and a little more rested, he did have a little more colour but he looked increasingly stiff and uncomfortable from being seated on the hard, tile floor. The stress was really getting to them and neither had slept for around 18 hours, most of which had been spent doing physical activity. Chin rushed upwards-a little too fast it appeared-and nearly collapsed so that Kono had to grab his arm to stop him from hitting the tiled floor. Waiting for a second to allow the dizziness to dissipate, Chin gently lifted his arm from her grip and nodded his gratitude.

"You okay cuz?" Chin asked slowly, his voice quiet and timid as he looked straight into her eyes.

Kono chewed her lip thoughtfully "I'm better. It's just…how could he…?"

Chin pulled her into a tight embrace as tears welled in her eyes once more and she let out a choking sob; burying her head in his shoulder. He gently brushed her hair back, stroking her comfortingly and holding her like he would never let go. For a few minutes they stood there like that, locked in an emotional and heart felt hug until they eventually broke apart and held each other's hands.

"Don't worry Kono, we'll get through this." Chin murmured softly, his eyes wide and wet "Steve would of wanted us to carry on and Danny and Catherine really need us right now…not to mention poor Grace; she just lost her Uncle Steve."

Kono stared at Chin sympathetically "I can't imagine how you're feeling…it being your birthday of all days."

Chin smiled weakly "It's okay I guess; now I have more to think about than being a year older. Steve is far more important."

"Don't just write it off Chin!" Kono exclaimed angrily, pushing away from him slightly "Steve is gone! This is not…I mean…"

"I know cuz." Chin placated with a sad grimace "This is just the way I need to deal with this."

Kono quietened, wrapping her arm around Chin's and leading him back toward Danny's room with a small smile. They walked in silence, passing nurses and doctors as they paced down the corridor toward the private rooms. Everyone knew about the tragedy that had befallen the 5-0 team and they gave them pitied and compassionate looks as they continued on their way, some even muttering soft spoken condolences. It didn't particularly mean anything to Kono-they had no idea of the pain they were experiencing-and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hear any sincerity in their voices.

As they approached Danny's room they noticed the door was slightly ajar and voices were drifting through the opening.

"-uch do you need for the funeral arrangements?" Danny's strangely monotonous voice drifted through the door.

The cousins paused outside, mildly debating either interrupting the conversation or at least leave eavesdropping range however they were both too curious and upset to care. This was an important conversation.

"Danny," Catherine scolded softly, as Kono peered through the gap and saw her seize the bed ridden man's hand "I don't need any money…I just need you to be there for me and to come to the funeral...Steve would never want you to waste your money on him when you can spend it on Grace and yourself."

There was a pause as Danny acquiesced and Kono glimpsed him stroking Gracie's hair; the little girl lying beside him and sleeping soundly.

"It's weird to talk about him in the past tense…I guess I should get used to it."

Catherine didn't reply, just sucked in a terse breath "I never thought I'd ever have too."

Danny remained silent, twiddling and knotting his fingers in Grace's sleek, dark hair.

"What am I going to do about his house?" Catherine cried solemnly "All his stuff is still there…not to mention Doris!"

Carefully, Danny placed his hand on Catherine's and caught her gaze in a reproachable stare and Catherine held their connection of mutual grief, clutching tighter to his fingers.

"We'll get through this Cath. Together. For Steve."


	7. Chapter 7

**So I've been reading all your reviews and they have been so helpful because you guys have reminded me of things that are important like finding Steve's body and that so I'll try and clear some of things you pointed out up. All your reviews are so kind and helpful and I've been striving to improve my writing massively. Please keep reviewing and favouring and stuff, I know I say this every chapter but I really appreciate it.**

"_We'll get through this Cath. Together. For Steve."_

It was dawn when Chin left the hospital with Catherine in the passenger seat of Catherine's car. The sun was just poking up over the horizon and casting a pinky orange glow across the Hawaiian landscape. It was a cool morning, fresh morning dew settled on the grass and a soft breeze was gently flowing in through the half-open window. Chin fought off a yawn, rubbing his sore eyes dejectedly and glancing over at Catherine. Catherine was staring out the window with a blank expression, her eyes cold and empty as she watched the green trees and rows of houses roll past. With a frown, Chin coughed quietly and wondered whether he should just leave her alone.

Finally he built up the courage to say something "Are you okay?"

Catherine looked at him, and she seemed to take a few seconds to recognise him and register what he had said. She paused feebly, sliding a stray lock of hair from his face and her eyes remained clouded.

"Have they found Steve's…"her voice caught and finally she managed to push it out "…body...yet?"

"I called the coast guard before we left, they said that they're in the process of bringing the wreck up but they're almost certain the bottom decks were completely flooded quite soon after the explosion."

She nodded slowly, as if acknowledging his words before once again turning away and returning to the window. There was dead silence in the car for another few more minutes and there was a strange, unnatural tension between them. Chin sighed deeply, bowing his head slightly as he tried to find words to say.

"I'm sorry Catherine; I should have gone back for him." Chin whispered wearily.

Catherine's head snapped toward him and she had a strange mix of anger and sadness on her face.

"Don't blame yourself Chin, if you had gone back, we would have lost both you and Danny as well. Steve would never blame you for something like this so just don't." she paused and her voice became softer "Anyway, Steve's not dead."

Chin looked up at her in surprise and waited for her to continue. Seeing his puzzled expression Catherine gave a small smile.

"He's still alive; I can feel it and nothing will prove otherwise until we find him."

Chin smiled back and breathed deeply, pondering on what she had said and feeling a strange hope well up within him. To be honest, he had been feeling the same way, like nothing would prove Steve was dead save his body. This was Steve. He was an entirely new league of human being; even Grace recognised him as 'Super'SEAL. If anyone could be lucky-or unlucky-enough to survive all the torture and explosions, it was Steve McGarrett. The logical part of Chin's brain was telling him he was being naïve and just setting himself up for a huge fall of disappointment and emotional trauma. Hope could be dangerous thing if trust in it was misplaced. But Chin wasn't misplacing his trust in Steve, Steve had never given him reason too and no matter how perilous or terrible the situation, Steve always pulled through. Chin knew he'd never be able to recover as well as Steve did-though to be fair Steve had been trained to deal with serious trauma-despite the odd times Steve would have to take a moment to himself during a particularly hard case.

Suddenly there was an angry buzzing in Chin's pocket and he jumped in fright. With a quick gasp of breath and a sympathetic pat on the leg by Catherine he answered .

"Kelly."

"_Lieutenant Kelly, we just pulled the New Hope from the water and got it to dock." _the familiar voice of Max drifted down the phone.

"And?" Chin asked nervously, afraid for what he was about to hear. He had half a mind to pull up and stop the car just in case but decided he was strong enough to control his emotions whatever the outcome.

"_After the CSU's preliminary search of the ship, they have yet to uncover any bodies and after careful investigation of the engine room we have determined the origin of the explosion."_

Chin sighed in relief "So there's no sign of Steve?"

"_Affirmative,"_ Max said coolly, his voice still monotonous _"However there was evidence that Commander McGarrett was alive after the explosion but it is still possible that he was pulled through one of the breaks in the hulls surface, therefore meaning he is now adrift in the ocean; though that does not determine his physical state."_

"You mean he still could be dead?" Chin asked quietly, trying to maintain his optimism that was gradually dwindling.

Max paused, his voice becoming more concerned _"Indeed, however there is a probability that Commander McGarrett has survived and the coast guard should find him soon."_

Chin lowered his head and sighed, watching Catherine's worried expression as she listened intently to his conversation.

"_We have found some interesting information about the explosive device used though. As soon as you get the chance you should visit Fong for his analysis."_

"Thanks Max, I'll drop off Catherine and see if I can meet you at the docks." Chin replied calmly, thumbing the red button before Max could reply.

Catherine put a hand on Chin's shoulder and he smiled at her gently, before returning his thoughts to the winding road.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the shorter chapter last time but being a mostly improv writer it means when I get writer's block, I pretty much fail at life. If anyone knows some stuff about bombs and such I would be very grateful if you private messaged me to give me some accurate ideas as being a fifteen year old girl I don't generally come into contact with that kind of information.**

_Catherine put a hand on Chin's shoulder and he smiled at her gently, before returning his thoughts to the winding road._

Steve was awoken from his exhausted slumber by something brushing past his leg. The touch was so powerful that it jostled Steve's grip on the wooden plank and before he could think he was plunged under the water. With a frantic kick, Steve broke the surface and latched into the floating debris once again; trying to gain the faintest insight into what was happening. His mind was spinning and his eyelids were unnaturally heavy as he heaved himself higher out of the cold water and balanced on his tiny raft. The salt in the water stung and it alerted Steve's sense to the cascading pain throughout his being and the numerous cuts and burns-of various lengths and severity-littering his skin. The most crucial was the wound on his left side-now bleeding sluggishly into the water-the harp metal piece that protruded from the skin cutting his hand as he reached down to staunch the flow. It was an awkward process, the pain sending another wave of nausea catapulting Steve's way and in the end he just gave up; seeing no way to stay afloat and prevent the precious liquid slowly escaping his body.

His upper body was now elevated out of the water so that he was no longer losing most of his blood to the water, though when he glanced down there was a crimson tinge to the normally, perfect blue water that was now a deep teal that sparkled with the orange of the new morning sun. The waves rocked Steve's floatation device and he almost lost his balance but managed to right himself before he capsized again. Fortunately the debris he had miraculously chosen was of an accommodating size and allowed him to sit atop it with his legs dangling in the water; although the top was slightly submerged and washed over his baggy, beige shorts that ended just below the knee. Not that it particularly mattered, Steve noted, he was already completely soaked from being unconscious in the water for what seemed like a good number of hours. The world swam and merged a little in his peripheral vision and from the pounding headache and aching muscles Steve could guess he'd lost about a pint of blood whilst he was drifting in the water; which wasn't much considering the circumstances. All his wounds were relatively sterile due to the high salt content and the climate meant that the water was practically a sauna compared to some of the waters Steve had been subjected to during his time as a Navy SEAL.

As the night had past and the stars had disappeared, Steve was really struggling to work out where he was on the ocean. It was clear he was away from the main island but they had been sailing a few miles away from some of the smaller land masses and there was a high chance the current had dragged him closer to one of those. Most of the islands at the very least had a few inhabitants and a weak communication system to the mainland or one of the other islands in case of emergency. To answer his question, Steve looked up to see the faint outline of an island in the distance, perhaps eight to ten miles away from his current position. Steve had swum that distance easily more than once-it was actually a regular exercise for him-however he was never hindered by such a severe injury like the one in his side, or suffering from the effects of both blood loss and a head injury. Normally it would take him maybe three, perhaps four hours to swim across the open ocean that far but with his injuries he was looking at more like five or six provided he didn't pass out or have to stop too much; and that calculation was still with him doing a full stroke the entire way and that was highly doubtful seeing as he might make the abrasion on his side worse. It was too dangerous to remove the object embedded on his side lest it make the wound larger so he would lose blood faster, and also the higher risk of infection.

A large knock on the underside of the raft made Steve have to grip the side tightly and jarred his wounded side. With a pained hiss, Steve returned from his reverie and tried to clear his clouded thoughts as his eyes skimmed the water; searching for the source of the disturbance. The ocean just continued its rolling waves and Steve was just starting to wonder if it was all in his head when he saw a long fin cut through the water and circle around him.

_A shark._

Steve almost panicked and came very close to toppling off the wood in fright as he watched the circles come in closer and the shark disappear beneath the surface. His blood must have attracted it-appealed to its predatory senses and enticed its stomach for some delicious Super SEAL gourmet dinner-and the bump he had felt earlier meant that it had been testing whether he was still alive and worth waiting to have a bit of fun with. So the shark he was dealing with was sadistic? _Fantastic. _Suddenly Steve's training emerged from the back of his head and the instinctual knowledge of how to react in this kind of situation surfaced with a few rushed words that had been drilled into him since he had met Joe White.

_Aim for the eyes._

Slowly, Steve let himself slide into the water, trying to keep his heartbeat as plodding as possible both to not overwhelm his weakened body but also not to give the shark an insight into quite how defenceless he was. Keeping one hand on the wooden debris, he treaded water a little way from the shark, watching it like a hawk as it noticed him and came up to investigate. As it approached Steve wondered if he had time to identify it but instead just decided it would be safer if he just took care of the problem now. The shark was now only a few feet away, coming in fast with its mouth slightly agape so it could grab Steve's waist and test it playfully. Steve had seen the signs before; he knew what was coming. Carefully positioning himself to deliver the brutal blow, Steve tensed his preparation almost egging the creature on to him, teasing it to take a try.

Finally Steve deemed the animal close enough and quickly rolled out of its way, sending a stabbing punch accurately into the shark's amber eye. The animal instantly spun away in both shock and pain and rolled away, shaking its head as it rapidly sped back into the deeper water. With a relieved sigh, Steve released the breath he didn't realise he had been holding and fought off the sudden tsunami of exhaustion that riddled his entire body like a debilitating disease. For a few minutes, Steve was content to just rest before he forced his body into action and determined his desperate need to reach the shore and get medical attention. Fighting the urge to surrender and die, Steve began his first stroke in the long fight to reach the shore.

_If the others were alive, he had to get back to them._


	9. Chapter 9

**Please review and stuff I really appreciate it, enjoyed writing last chapter so please tell me if you feel I was a little OTT about it. Enjoy this chapter! Whoop I love writing Danny's perspective.**

_If the others were alive, he had to get back to them._

Danny winced as he tentatively prodded the fresh, clean bandage that encircled his head. He stopped when Kono glared at him warningly and wagged a slender finger. The nurse on duty finished checking Danny's release forms and completed the transaction with a swift swipe of pen on paper; the scribble apparently her illegible signature. The nurse placed the clipboard down on her desk and scrutinised Danny's pale exterior, as if she was regretting her decision before giving a final nod to Kono and sitting back in her seat. Both Kono and Danny let out a simultaneous sigh of relief as they flashed each other a tired, furtive smile and set off toward the exit at a brisk pace.

The pounding in Danny's head hadn't really dissipated and Danny massaged his temples as they erupted into the humid, noon sun that looked down from high above them. It was excruciatingly hot outside and already Danny could feel the sweat accumulating under his shirt and on his brow. Kono appeared unaffected by the sudden wave of heat; accustomed to the sweltering, fiery climate of the island. She pulled her car keys from her pocket and pressed the button, the action followed by the enthusiastic beep from a nearby vehicle. Clambering in rather clumsily, Danny settled into the passenger seat with another exhausted sigh as he tiredly ran his fingers through his sticky blond hair.

"Mind you're bandage Danny!" Kono scolded slightly patronisingly "The Doctor said to leave it alone, especially after all the fussing you made as they wrapped it up."

"I was proving I was perfectly fine to be released!" Danny argued, gesturing outward with both arms.

Kono tilted her head to the side and scowled at him "You sounded like a five year old and if anything the ranting made it seem like you were still delusional."

Danny frowned at her with a slight huff, crossing his arms in a blatant expression of frustration. In return Kono just rolled her eyes and started the engine, checking both ways before pulling out of the parking space and heading out of the car park and out into the open road. They turned a corner and Danny's expression darkened in a mixture of confusion and anger as he snapped around to face Kono.

"What are you doing?" he yelled incredulously "The harbour's that way!"

Kono breathed deeply before replying "Look brah, the Doc said to rest. That means no work. I'm going to take you home and then meet Chin at the harbour but we'll keep you involved in the investigation."

"What?!" Danny screeched angrily, his eyes wide with fury and shock "You're going to make me sit this one out because of a stupid concussion? What about Steve? He may still be out there; he needs all of us to find him!"

"Danny," Kono said sternly "I'm sorry but you need to rest. If Steve is alive then he has the whole coast guard looking for him, our investigation won't do anything to help him."

"If?! What do you mean if?"

Kono bit her lip nervously, realising her unintentional slip "Danny…you have to accept that Steve-"

"No!" Danny interrupted furiously "Don't you dare Kono! Steve is alive, he has to be!"

Kono wisely remained quiet, avoiding Danny's fierce glare and instead concentrating on the road ahead. Seeing that Kono was no longer going to respond, Danny took it as a sign he had lost the argument and resigned himself to suffer in silence. The tense, awkward atmosphere within the car was suffocating in itself even without the overwhelming heat that even the air conditioning could not fix. Soon they were pulling up to Danny's apartment and Kono shut off the engine rather hurriedly, leaping out of the car in an attempt to escape Danny's dark stare. Danny exited the car slowly, watching Kono carefully as she waited at the front doors for him; head low and arms across her chest. With a sideways glance, Danny walked into the lobby are and headed straight for the elevator, fighting the dizzy, nauseous feeling in his body.

Kono left soon after, with only a quiet goodbye as she briskly left the apartment; knowing all too well that Danny wasn't in the mood to talk to her after her offensive outburst. In the end Danny decided he wasn't hungry and instead retired to watching TV and relaxing on the sofa. Settling down with a small checked blanket and the softest pillow he could find to cradle his aching head; Danny switched onto a rerun of the Savannah show. Within ten minutes he was fast asleep, lost in a world of tumbling dreams and nightmares.

_The boat…he was on the boat again and Grace was dancing with him, her smile wider and brighter than was physically possible. The image changed and he was walking behind Chin down as endlessly long corridor, there was an explosion and Danny tried to call out to his friend as the world around him collapsed. A savage pain suddenly erupted from his head and he was knocked onto the ground, pinned beneath something impossible heavy and the world again spun. Whispers echoed around him and a claustrophobic feeling crept into his heart as he attempted to thrash around to no avail. The twisting torment sped up as it transformed into a familiar darkness, the shadows rocking and swirling around him; cascading down on top of Danny like a waterfall. Without warning the pressure was removed but still Danny could not escape the darkness, no matter how hard he fought and clawed for freedom. Someone lifted him up and he floated, suspended in the darkness for a while; completely paralysed. Slowly the shifting ground rose up to meet him and he bobbed on the surface being dragged by invisible hands through a translucent maze of unidentifiable nature. Again Danny lost track of time until he felt more talons dig into his skin and he was heaved upwards and dropped onto another surface. What was it? _

_A soft loving hand was now caressing his face and the familiar gentle voice of his daughter pressed in on him, dissipating the darkness with its natural beauty and tranquillity, calming the raging ocean of Danny's subconscious. Why was his subconscious an ocean? He hated the ocean. Danny's head lulled to the side as he forced himself into some form of wakefulness and cracked open his eyes. The light burned his retinas and everything was blurry. He was staring out over the edge of a small boat as a cacophony of voices murmured above him; in the distance something broke the surface on the ocean, water spraying up and glinting in the dying sunlight. His eyes tingled and immediately it was like he was watching through high definition binoculars as he watched Steve desperately grab onto a piece of floating wreckage. The colours shifted again and Danny could feel himself waking up but he despairingly plunged himself deeper into the…memory or illusion? Could he really tell? Finally he caught sight of Steve again, lying prone on the board as it drifted steadily away. The last thing Danny managed to see was the miniscule outline of an island on the horizon. That was where the current was going. That was where Steve was._

Danny woke up with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed and yelling 'Steve' at the top of his voice. The thumping in his head intensified and Danny screwed up his eyes and shook his head, trying to relieve the agonising pain. Stupid concussion. When Danny opened his eyes he noted that his blanket was now strewn on the ground, where he had obviously tossed it in his desperate, restless nightmare. Wiping away the cold sweat in his brow, Danny stood up quickly, practically jumping on his phone in his haste before hitting Chin's speed dial. After a few seconds, Chin picked up.

"Danny, you're meant to be in bed resting. I don't have anything new on Steve." Chin scolded gently, the tiredness blatant in his tone.

_Danny almost laughed out loud "You don't, but I think I do."_

**If it isn't clear the two paragraphs in italics are Danny's dream, sorry I wrote it like that but it was the only way I thought I could kind of portray the vision thing that I had going on. Nothing supernatural or spiritual in it, I was just showing a cognitive recalibration due to the concussion that triggered the recovery of the memory of events. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hiya, I'm back! With internet thank goodness! I really missed you guys but luckily I had a tonne of time to kill between lessons and stuff, mainly because my accommodation was off site so I only got a coach back at 10pm- which is very late for me-so I managed to write a lot. It was fun and very educational overall though nothing beats home. I was touched by all the lovely messages from all you guys, I genuinely got tearful so this is for all of you, the longest chapter yet and hopefully one of the most dramatic. Please review!**

_Danny almost laughed out loud "You don't, but I think I do."_

"No Danny, this is ridiculous!" Kono yelled loudly, frustration evident in her voice.

Danny stamped his foot impatiently; looking more like a child having a tantrum than he had obviously originally intended.

"This is Steve's life we're talking about! He's hurt and in trouble! I know he's heading toward the other island!"

Chin sighed sadly, wandering whether he should get involved. They were in the main room of HQ, staring down at a satellite image of the wreck site and a small island-commonly known to the locals as '_Make'aina_' or 'The Dead island'- on the screen of the interactive table. Orange arrows glowed on the surface of the blue ocean, clearly indicating the flow of the current and its transection directly through their sunken crime scene-though Chin personally hated calling it that-and toward the shore of the nearby land mass before it faded into the rest of the water.

If Chin chose one of his colleagues side's as oppose to the other he knew that thought the decision would have been made, he would be isolating the opposition who would surely accuse him of betrayal whichever way he went. Not only that but it could be that his boss's and his close friend's life that rested on Chin's judgement. Focus all rescue all rescue attempts on and around that island, or continue the wide spread search? Danny's idea was plausible but it was based on some kind of miraculous vision he had whilst in a concussed slumber, whereas Kono was adamant that they continue searching the deeper water which would inevitably use up precious time, resources and manpower. Time Steve may not have. It would be naïve and useless to just pray they stumbled upon him in time. This was assuming Steve was even alive of course. Chin had seen the ex-SEAL do amazing things, survive perilous danger with barely a scratch and a mad smile plastered on his face. But even he wasn't impervious to explosions, or falling debris, or drowning; no matter how invincible he made himself appear. The likelihood of Steve still being alive was, in itself, an entirely new debate.

Kono placed her hands firmly on her hips "This is based on some dream you had whilst lying on your couch with a head injury!"

"I know what I saw!" Danny exclaimed passionately, "It wasn't a dream! I know the difference between dream and reality, thank you!"

"Danny!" Kono shouted furiously, glaring at him darkly and stepping forwards menacingly.

Chin raised his eyebrows as Danny didn't back off and instead stared back at her with equal fury, the heat practically radiating off them like two nuclear reactors on the verge of exploding. To be honest Chin just wanted to knock their heads together; this wasn't getting them anywhere and just driving them apart but he still remained silent. Finally realising her intimidation tactic wasn't working, Kono took a second to take a deep breath and collect herself before continuing more softly.

"Look…I know it's hard Danny-it is for all of us-but you just have to face the facts and accept that Steve isn't com-"

"No."

Danny and Kono both spun round to face Chin, as if only just realising he was actually there in the room with them, Danny's mouth still opened ready to interrupt Kono as well but silenced by Chin's outburst.

"Excuse me?" Kono asked in disbelief, her voice quiet and eyes wide in surprise.

"I said no, Kono." Chin said calmly, his voice impassive as he looked at her "Steve's not dead."

"Thank you!" Danny screamed slightly gleefully, turning back to Kono but gesturing with one hand at Chin.

Kono didn't bother hiding the hurt in her voice "You don't believe this do you Chin?"

Chin kept his face as straight as possible so she could not see the uncertainty now welling within him.

"If Danny said he saw Steve, he saw Steve. I'm sorry cuz, but I don't doubt it for a second."

Danny remained silent this time, raising his eyebrows in a half-confused, half-touched expression and watching Kono's reaction nervously. Kono now narrowed her eyes at Chin the fury smouldering in her dark pupils and burning into Chin's heart and they conveyed her thoughts: traitor. Chin was a traitor. Her own cousin didn't back her up.

"Fine!" Kono roared crossly, throwing her hands up in acquiescence, "But don't get me involved, it's bad enough trying to deal with Steve's death without you guys creating stupid stories!"

With tears in her eyes, Kono spun around; briskly jogging through the glass doors and disappeared from sight. When Chin glanced back to Danny it wasn't hard to notice the slight wetness of his eyes and the pure devastation concealed in his features.

"Brah?" Chin asked kindly, stepping toward his friend and placing what he hoped was a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

Danny lowered his gaze to the floor and sagged slightly "I thought she was going to help…but now I feel even more uncertain about this than before."

Chin moved to speak but suddenly Danny turned to Chin and captured his gaze, staring directly into his eyes.

"What if I doom Steve to die? What if Kono is right and this is all some silly, desperate illusion I've made up to make myself feel better?"

"You won't, brah." Chin reassured gently, squeezing Danny's shoulder affectionately "We are going to find Steve and you are going to be the one that helped us save him."

For a second Danny stayed frozen in place, just processing Chin's words, then opened his arms in obvious invitation. Chin smiled and pulled him into the tight, brotherly embrace, giving him a quick pat on the back before separating.

"Do you think Kono and I are really friends? Do I really know her in the light?" Danny questioned cautiously, grimacing when he saw Chin flinch slightly at the inquiry.

"I think…" Chin paused, savouring his next words carefully "I think that you're both stressed about this. Kono has dealt with these kinds of missing persons before and knows how they normally end. She just doesn't want to be crushed if it…doesn't turn out as we hoped."

Danny nodded his understanding and turned back to the interactive table, carefully running his hand over the image and zooming in on the small island and a few miles of the surrounding ocean. His entire posture changed as he became determined and professional, acting like nothing had happened.

"So what do we know about this area?"

Chin joined him, analysing the map "Well _Make'aina'_ doesn't have many inhabitants…maybe fifty currently but they all live on the west side of the island near the only fresh water spring."

Chin pointed at the area, pinpointing the small settlement and the nearby spring. Danny leant over further and scrutinised it closely but said nothing.

"The people are rather superstitious and dislike strangers but won't refer anyone in need of help. Very few know the island as well as them, due to their living-off-the-land tradition…save of course the pirates."

Danny looked up in surprise and frowned at Chin "Wait…pirates? Like 'argh-me-hearties-slit-your-throat-with-a-cutlass' pirates?"

"Not exactly," Chin chuckled in amusement, glad to forget the circumstances of their conversation "Their profits are mainly based on smuggling and human trafficking. The island has easy access to some major shipping lines and is a great hiding spot for both themselves and their illegal merchandise. There are hundreds of cave systems under the surface; it's like a maze down there."

"You've been there?"

"With HPD. They've had numerous operations to try and take these guys down but they're slippery and distrustful, so undercover stings are impossible. These guys are violent and dangerous; we've lost a lot of good cops trying to take them down. They have a barrage of powerful weaponry supplied from dealers across the world."

Danny chewed on his bottom lip nervously "What would happen if they caught McGarrett?"

"Depends," Chin shrugged, brow creasing in vexation as scenarios played in his mind "They could kill him, or sell him off as some kind of slave if they have a buyer already lined up, or worse of all, if someone recognises him he could be sold to one of his numerous enemies; a lot of them will at least have contacts in such a large, worldwide organisation."

The look of worry escalated on Danny's face as Chin spoke and Chin hated the fact that he was the one who had to be the pessimist and deliver the terrible news.

"Danny…if Steve gets captured and they take him off the island and out of the country…there's a good chance we'll never see him again."

"_Then we won't let them," Danny declared firmly "Steven J. McGarrett is not escaping this pineapple infested hellhole without me."_

**The island isn't real, I made it up because it was a lot easier so sorry if the name and geographical positioning is wrong. I hope this wasn't too OOC but please tell me if you like the closeness and the tension between them or if you feel they would act a little differently.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hiya everyone so I'm so pleased with all the feedback I got back last chapter, it was all amazing! Please continue to send in your amazing reviews because I really enjoy hearing from all of you. I'm going to France on Thursday but I think I have internet and stuff because I'm staying with friends so I should still be able to write.**

"_Then we won't let them," Danny declared firmly "Steven J. McGarrett is not escaping this pineapple infested hellhole without me."_

Kono wiped the last of her tears off her face as she pulled up outside the CSU building. She sat back in her seat, determining she wasn't ready yet as she examined her tearstained cheeks and puffy red eyes in the mirror and tutted herself. This was not a professional look and no way was she going to let the general public-let alone the CSU guys-see her in such a state. No matter what, she was not going to show Danny and Chin how much their words affected her; she was a grown woman, no longer a rookie and she could look after herself. She didn't need her teammates to carry her through every situation and right now she was the only one being sensible and accepting reality for what it was. Steve was dead. There would be time to mourn him later, as soon as they caught the SOB who killed him. What Kono didn't need were her teammates being irrational and wasting their time on a completely useless search for a lifeless corpse whilst their killer got away scot free.

_She was not going to let that happen. Steve deserved better. They all needed closure._

It was now late afternoon and the air was hot and humid so that Kono was forced to turn the air conditioning right up as not to overheat. A thin sheen of sweat coated her exhausted body and she knew that the lack of sleep was catching up with her along with the emotional trauma that had been building ever since the incident. It was hard to believe something that had started so happy and relaxing had morphed into a living nightmare. Her façade faltered once more and she had to choke back another bout of sobs as they threatened to spill over her already raw cheeks. Kono cursed her rampant, raging emotions and pinched herself tightly on the arm, trying to rein in and measure her feelings before she lost control again. There was no way she could work at her full capacity if she couldn't even think straight without bursting into tears like a three year old.

Finally, Kono cleaned herself up enough so that she at least looked presentable; looking a little depressed would be forgiven given the current circumstances of which no doubt everyone on the island was aware of. Kono now was certain that the media would have leapt on the story, focussing on the suspected demise of the great Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett, Head of the infamous 5-0 Task force. Tonight, when she turned on the radio or the news the headline would be on the horrific disaster that befell the _New Hope _and the loss of a great hero; the Governor would have to comment and the rest of 5-0 would be harassed into making public statements. She dreaded seeing the CSU people stop and stare at her, whispering to each other and flashing her pitied looks. Kono didn't need their pity; she needed their help, their expertise, all their focus pointed on whoever murdered Steve McGarrett.

With a final deep breath, Kono opened the car door and clambered out; checking her badge was still firmly attached to her skinny hip. The sun glared off the glass doors as she approached and she had to hold her hand out to block the harsh sunlight. Squinting, she pushed open the heavy doors and briskly walked through the reception area; the receptionist barely looking up as she recognised Kono's familiar black boots and light step. Kono flounced through another pair of large wooden double doors and everyone in the room looked up in surprise, obviously not expecting such a bold entrance into the silent room. Most of them proceeded to avert their gaze with hushed, embarrassed sighs as they turned back to their work; trying to watch her through their eyebrows as they kept their heads lowered to the desks. Kono just rolled her eyes and gave an audible tut as she made a beeline for Fong, who had a pained grimace on his face.

"Hey Fong, Max said you had some important information for me?" Kono asked rapidly, keeping her voice as casual and steady as possible.

"Uhhh…"Fong fumbled as he scattered a pile of papers on his desk haphazardly before finally picking a couple off the table and scanned them "The bomb results came back, and I was meant to tell you that we're working on a working simulation of the explosion in the engine room. That should be back soon as well and I'll send it down to your HQ."

"Great work," Kono commented, gesturing calmly toward the papers in Fong's hands "What about the bomb?"

Fong frowned at her with a concerned gleam in his eye, before he looked down at his sheet again.

"It's made with nitrogen and gasoline-basic home grown bomb that anyone could make in their garden shed. The nitrogen has been treated with some kind of agent that we've been unable to identify due to its highly flammable nature, it acted as a kind of catalyst to the explosion and the combustion was more powerful. The gasoline was to create a lot of flames. It appears our bomber intended to burn away most of the evidence before the ship went down as a contingency plan in case water damage wasn't enough. From the looks of things the heat from the blast would have reached possibly a thousand degrees centigrade."

"No one could have survived that kind of heat though?" Kono questioned more quietly, feeling her eyebrows knot together.

"Not usually," Fong replied cryptically, revealing an image of the torched engine room alongside a generated image of the intact one "See that door there? It's a storeroom where most of the tools and main power conduits would have been kept. It seemed that the doorway had been blocked off by something; now originally we thought it could have been the blast wave however…you see those marks? Something was leaning against that, holding the door closed. Nothing in that room would have been large or strong enough to hold that door closed under that kind of pressure and there is no way if there was something it could have drifted out of the hull breech. Unless…"

"It was Steve." Kono finished breathlessly as she analysed the image "So what do you reckon happened?"

"Well, I'd just be speculating," Fong raised his eyebrows and tilted his head "But it looks like Steve managed to get into that room just in time, managed to mostly block the door and then escape through the tear in the outer hull. We found blood traces on some fragments of metal and some of the guys are trying to process the DNA but it was mostly washed away…the problem is if there's blood, it's more than likely Steve's injured and from an explosive impact like that…I reckon probably some high velocity debris. It may be a matter of Steve is bleeding to death."

Kono nodded thoughtfully and handed the images back, trying to hide the thickness of her voice "Thanks Fong, send those over for Danny and Chin to look at. Anything on who our bomber may be?"

"Bomb squad are trying to piece together the last of the detonator and some of the casing but it's a long shot to identify such badly damaged evidence. However…"Fong paused, the flicked over a page of paper detailed 'Chemical Analysis' "…the nitrogen was from a very specific type of fertiliser, only made on a farm on the North side of the Island. It's not a commercially sold product so the ingredients would have to have come from there. Along with some soil samples that were accidently mixed into the compound whilst they were being prepared…some kind of treated alkaline traces that I've unable to be track down so far."

"Thanks Fong, this is brilliant. Please send me this stuff so I can start doing my own investigating." Kono praised with a weak smile, wiping a stray lock of black hair from her face.

She turned to leave when suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder at she spun back her face frozen in shock.

"Look, Kono…if you need to talk; I'm here for you." Fong whispered quietly, staring deep into her eyes "That goes for the others as well. Not to mention that Adam is probably beside himself with worry right now."

Kono froze in realisation and her hand rushed to cover her mouth "Oh my god, I totally forgot to call Adam!"

Without even saying goodbye, Kono rushed out of the room much to everyone's dismay and tore down the hallway. She clattered past the receptionist, who stood bolt upright in fright as she practically fell through the doors and slid elegantly across the bonnet of her car. Jumping into the front seat, she just managed to throw the keys into the ignition and stamp on the accelerator. Tearing down the open road, she finally had time to think of Fong and his gracious invitation.

"_Thank you Fong, but I'm not going to need it. Steve's not dead; I can finally feel it."_

**So uh, yeah. Hope you enjoyed that, I'm still a bit sceptical but I am both impressed and frightened at my knowledge of explosive devices (which I did not look up so if I get it completely wrong I'm sorry). Please review and tell me what you think. I promise major whump next chapter…not to mention the dark things I now have planned for Danny as well…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys sorry I haven't posted in a while but I'm on holiday and things are a bit hectic, lots of activities to do today. Anyway I thought I'd tell you guys about this near death experience I had today which was scarily like Steve's little predicament. I went kayaking for the first time ever in this French river nearby with a family friend (who is like my grandmother) and my older brother who is like in his twenties. My brother did canoeing for like two years and so he went in his own and I went with this friend with me in the front. About ten minutes into a three hour ride we got to like this fast bend and we lost control and careered into the overhanging treeline. I ducked but my friend was a too late and got a face-full of tree and fell out into the fast flowing water. So I couldn't get her but I managed to right the kayak and grab her oar (plus one of her flip flops!), so my brother stayed behind a bit to help her and I was left to drift onward with the current. I was drifting there all alone, with no idea where I was or where everyone else was in a relatively fast flowing river, in a foreign country that I can barely speak the language of for about twenty minutes, which too a frightened fifteen year old girl felt like two hours especially when you're learning to row the boat in the right direction on really rough water. Ended up just laughing for ages because I'm one of those weird people who if they're scared or in trouble or in an awkward situation just burst into laughter (which I guess is more productive than bursting into tears). So yeah, I sympathise with Steve right now. Sorry for the long intro, please review and stuff!**

"_Thank you Fong, but I'm not going to need it. Steve's not dead; I can finally feel it."_

The sand was gritty and compact against Steve's cheek as his eyes fluttered open and he groaned. The sun was now high in the sky, indicating that it was almost noon and the heat was stifling, the humidity pressing on Steve's battered body as he lay on the shore, nothing to protect him from the glaring sun. The wave brushed up Steve's legs as it attempted to crawl onto land before it slipped backwards, the cool water curling up and soaking up into the SEAL's already wet shorts. His body sapped of energy, Steve was content just to lie there for a moment; knowing all too well that as soon as he moved, he would be in surmountable agony. Steve wondered if he could just lie there forever but as another wave lapped at his knees and threatened to drag him back into the endless abyss, he forced himself to move; managing to push himself to his hands and knees. All at once, his body was filled with debilitating pain; the blistered burns on his skin- that were now worse with exposure to the blinding sun-cracked and the metal in his side seemed to dig in further, muscles jostling the embedded debris. Steve bit his lips to hold in a scream and felt his entire body tense in a feeble attempt to lessen the overwhelming messages from his nerves. His entire body shook from the toll on his already exhausted body and Steve let his elbows bow and rested his forehead against the sand as he breathed deeply. It took all of his will not to just collapse but Steve knew that if he did, he doubted he would have the energy to get back up again. Gritting his teeth, Steve carefully spread his weight a little more evenly and gently pushed himself up to his feet; hands out in case his body failed him and he fell down again. Fortunately, his body only protested as Steve finally stood on his feet, clutching his side and being careful to not put much weight on his side. Using his hand to block out the harsh sunlight, Steve squinted and looked out over the beach ahead of him; trying to hold in the gasp at the effort required to even move his aching head.

The smooth, blue water caressed the idyllic white sand, each granule glistening under the midday sun. Trees hung over edge of the sand, marking the beginning of a deep, lush jungle filled with exotic plants and animals that scrambled around in the foliage. At the other end of the shore, there was a steep incline which grew into a large cliff made of stone and lined with some kind of winding ivy that hung from the crevices and made a kind of trellis up the walls. A cave –almost concealed by a layer of hanging greenery-welcomed Steve inside with its mouth agape, the darkness whispering promises of shade and protection from the scorching sun that pounded down on Steve's back and shoulders. Inching forward, Steve did his best not to aggravate his agonising wounds further; thinking about anything but the distance between himself and the cave.

As he crept forward, he tried to remember where he was, and how he had got there and was unsettled to find he had no recollection of events from a certain point. The last thing he remembered before waking up was swimming across the ocean and praying that the others were alright and alive-not only for his own sake, not to mention sanity-and then there was darkness. It was obvious Steve had passed out, but Steve had no idea for how long or where he had ended up and he cursed his tired, injured body that continued to defy him. He was meant to be a SEAL. He was meant to be '_Super_'SEAL; he should at least be able to swim to an island with a little cut in his side, surely? Steve knew he was being stupid and arrogant, waving off his injuries like he always did even though they were so clearly much serious than he wanted to believe them to be. There wasn't time to be injured, or cold, or tired.

_Danny, Grace, Catherine, Chin and Kono all needed him-were relying on him- to come back and help them. What if they were even worse off than he was? What if one of them was trapped? Or d-_

Steve cut off the thought, he couldn't deal with things like that in his present condition; he needed to find shelter and food, stop complaining and survive. The cave was now looming overhead, and Steve thanked the heavens as he staggered into the shadow; grunting as his legs decided that they were too weak to continue and gave out beneath him. His hand slammed down of an outcropping of jagged rock and he swore as he impacted on his shoulder and the skin was torn from his hand. Panting, Steve rolled onto his back and manoeuvred himself into a sitting position; his back pressed up against the icy, cold rock that was slick with grime. Hot blood trickled down Steve arm and he haphazardly wiped in on his salty T-shirt, biting his teeth harder as the ocean water made contact with the ugly, open abrasion. Steve tore off the bottom of his shirt, tying it tightly around the haemorrhaging wound and then turning his attention to his biggest worry. The scorched metal that protruded from his side made Steve gag as he observed the blackened edges of his broken skin and the edges of the shirt. Hissing as he prodded around the edge of the piece and marvelled at the heat of the skin surrounding the wound, Steve tried to determine the likelihood of infection, granted he had been in the ocean with all of his bacteria for who know how long. A shiver wracked Steve's body and he instinctively curled up to try and preserve warmth, realising all too suddenly that he was at high risk of hypothermia even in these warm conditions. The water wasn't freezing here, but it wasn't warm either; it was still the ocean after all.

Steve let his eyelids flutter closed; unconsciously reigning to the tiredness deep in his bones and fell into a much needed, rejuvenated sleep. Without warning, he was suddenly grabbed by a number of hands and a bag thrown over his head as he was lifted off the floor. Steve yelled in shock, finding himself unable to fight as his weakened body gave up and ignored the adrenaline now rushing through his body and his brain's all out panic. Voices echoed around the walls, but Steve's confused mind was unable to comprehend the language, let alone the words as he was dragged deeper into the seemingly large cavernous space. There was the distinctive creak of iron as Steve's head lulled to the side and he was dropped heavily on the floor; one of the assailants giving him a fierce kick in the stomach for good measure and knock the metal in his side. Another clanging sound filled the air and reverberated off the walls as Steve tried to curl up into the smallest ball he could manage and wished he could just disappear into nothing. Without the strength to even remove the foul tasting bag that was sucked into his mouth as he breathed, Steve just lay in the darkness, praying the ravaging pain would just go away and leave him alone for just a few minutes.

_More than anything, he wished his Ohana was with him; or better yet, he was with them._

**I'm absolutely exhausted so I apologise if this is of a lower standard than my norm but I put my heart and soul into every chapter…it's just hard sometimes, you know. Anyway please tell me what you think and SPOILER ALERT Danny and the others are coming to the rescue next chapter…shame things never go as planned for 5-0 where I'm involved…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while been really busy and stuff, my little sister just had an operation and I got some bad marks in my exams that I'm really disappointed about and slightly confused as to what happened. Anyway please review!**

_More than anything, he wished his Ohana was with him; or better yet, he was with them._

Salt water sprayed up into Danny's face as the speed boat sped over the water, bouncing slightly as it came over the choppier waves; heading toward the island, the highest point concealed by a layer of cloud. Danny squinted at the shoreline, trying to see any sign of a human or at least some kind of SOS signal but there was not a single sign of life, not even birds flying through the treetops of the dark jungle behind. Danny let his worried frown deepen sadly and caught sight of the other two boats either side of them; one carrying Chin and the other a newly turned around Kono. She had been incredibly apologetic to Danny about their argument and that she had just been stressed and upset about Steve. To be honest, it had seemed a little pathetic to Danny, especially in their circumstance and Steve's predicament but he convinced himself that it was only a patch on their wounded relationship and he would have to find Steve and- with his weird sense of pride-prove that she was wrong to doubt his survival to finally overcome their feud. He was however glad that Kono had finally come to her senses and agree to take part in their rescue plan- he had a lot to thank Charile Fong for later, probably in the form of a cold beer-and Danny had no doubt her skills and presence would be useful in the search. If Kono was one thing it was determined, especially when it came to fulfilling her fierce loyalty.

"Right follow the plan: I'll go left with Duke toward the rocky peninsula, Kono right for the village and the main waterway and Danny you stick to this shoreline and the cliff edge. Stay in radio contact for the entire time and keep your wits about you, despite all appearances this island is dangerous; there's a reason people call it 'The Dead Island'. And above all else: stick with your partners and stay out of the caves! It's a maze down there and we each have someone who's been here before but there's no way to be sure how many tunnels are down there." Chin commanded coolly through the radio link in Danny's ear, his boat already turning away and flying away.

A moment later Kono's boat also turned gradually, disappearing into the distance as she gave the other two an amicable salute. Danny managed a small smile and a quick wave before he patted the drivers shoulder in reassurance and placed the binoculars to his eyes, scanning the beach all over again. The woman sat in the driver's seat was named MaiKeKai Li-or Mai to her friends- and though she had been a HPD officer for five years, the twenty five year old have served on Human Trafficking for most of her career. Danny had met her only a couple of times, during some of the more ridiculously dangerous raids that Steve had organised with the increasingly disgusting criminals; but she had been very pleasant and was quite devoted to her work and Danny had instantly hit it off with her when they had struck up conversation. She was also very interested in Grace and how she was doing as she grew up; and Danny was happy to unload and supply all the details, thankful to take his mind off Steve's predicament.

The neared the shoreline and Mai cut the engine, allowing them to slowly drift into shallower waters and keeping their entrance as quiet and stealthy as was possible. Danny didn't wait for the boat to come to a complete stop before he leapt over the side, landing with a splash on the sand with the few inches of water spraying up as he impacted with the ground. Fighting the urge to just call out, Danny rushed onto the shore, turning his head to search the surrounding area and subconsciously checking for any sign of danger. He heard another splash as Mai disembarked and she walked through the water to join his side on the dry, baked sand.

"So…where to?" Mai asked quietly, flicking back a stray lock of her thick black hair.

Danny paused for a second in thought, uncertain of his next move "We'll head toward the cliffs. In this weather Steve would be looking for shade and shelter to tend his wounds. He's lectured me enough on survival techniques; all part of his SEAL training."

"Right; you can lead the way."

Danny nodded in acknowledgment before running his hand through his messy blond hair and plodding off down the sand, careful not to stumble on the unstable ground. Soon his shoes were filled with the gritty granules and Danny murmured another curse about the 'God-forsaken sand covered island' and muttered something about how New Jersey was much more civilised with just gangstas instead of pirates. Mai just sniggered behind him, and Danny felt slightly comforted by the reminder of human contact; this would be much more daunting if he were alone.

"Hey!" Mai's voice cut through Danny's thoughts and he froze "I found something!"

He turned to find her crouched on the sand, carefully analysing a dark patch of sand that was a strange, unnatural burgundy colour; slowly she picked some up and sniffed it, rubbing the grains between her thumb and forefinger.

"Definitely blood. It's dry, but that's not a good indicator of time under this sun; it could have been thirty minutes or thirty hours since this was spilled and we have no way of knowing if it's even human."

Danny took a long deep sigh and squeezed the bridge of his nose; feeling the worry in his chest rise and tighten around him. The feeling was almost suffocating. When he opened his eyes, Mai was watching him sympathetically; though she wisely stayed quiet, knowing nothing she could say would dispel this apprehension to find his partner. Averting her powerful gaze, Danny turned and carried on toward the slowly growing wall of crooked stone but stumbled as the loose ground beneath his feet fell away and dipped. Coming frighteningly close to face planting the burning-hot sand, Danny managed to steady himself, feeling his knee tug in displeasure at the strain. Something caught Danny's eye, and he squinted, bending down a little to get a closer look. It was a few spots of blood. They continued, creating a miniscule trail and now Danny could clearly see the lines of someone stumbling and dragging their feet along the ground.

"Steve…" Danny gasped, standing straighter as he walked forward and followed the line of red.

Mai fell into step behind him, now noticing the trail and following Danny's steps cautiously as his eyes darted around and he painted a picture of what had occurred obviously recently.

_Steve was bleeding quite heavily…he stumbled here…but regained his balance…his stride is off, lopsided and short…he's struggling, probably out of breath…preferring his right leg...can't keep his body in check…perhaps a concussion or minor head injury…_

The detective in Danny awakened as ideas popped into his head and he picked up all the indications in an instant as though there was a life size hologram of a person walking in front of him and making the marks. It was a startling and enlightening experience, though the more he saw, the more Danny felt his unease escalate. He was so enthralled in his work, he didn't even notice he had reached the entrance to a cave till a shadow crossed over his head and the terrain changed and became more solid.

"Danny," Mai whispered in warning, placing a hand on his shoulder "We have to be careful here."

Danny looked around at the damp, stone walls and searched the area until his eyes fell upon a tiny glimmer further down the tunnel and he stepped forward cautiously. Mai followed more carefully, and Danny could hear the light tread of her footfalls and the sound of her gun leaving the holster at her belt. Confident that he now didn't require his own weapon since he had Mai's backup, Danny silently crept forward, keeping his back close to the wall behind. The light flickered slightly and as Danny turned the corner, he saw a torch bolted into the wall and headed steadily forward to investigate further.

There was a scuffling sound and Danny turned, just in time to see the back of an AK flying into his face. There was a resonating crack as it connected with his cheek bone and Danny's head snapped sideways and he was knocked to the ground in a breathless daze. Gunshots echoed out, but they were muffled by the buzzing in Danny's head as he blinked slowly and he felt the pain burning on his left cheek. His head spun wildly and he struggled to clear his blurred vision as something fell down hard beside him. His vision cleared for a second as he realised he was staring into large, dull brown eyes that had lost all light and he backed away from the body in surprise and distress. Mai's dead eyes didn't follow him as he rolled away, and Danny noted the blood splattered across her face and the holes in her chest, now bleeding steadily and sluggishly. Danny was hauled to his feet by unknown hands but he couldn't take his eyes off the woman's lifeless eyes as they stared at him, terrified. Even as he was dragged further inside and another dark figure hefted her limp body onto his shoulder and disappeared down another route, her piercing eyes stayed with him, engraved on Danny's eyelids.

Finally Danny was thrown into some kind of cell and the men wandered away, talking loudly in what sounded like Spanish. Trying to clear the buzzing in his head, Danny put his hand tentatively against his swollen cheek and wiped the stray tears in his eyes. Now was not the time to get emotional. He needed to escape; he could mourn Mai later. There was a guttural moan behind Danny and he jumped at the sound, scooting away until his back hit the stone wall of the side of the cell. The prone form groaned again, a bag covering the person's face and shielding it from view. Panting hard and trying to fill his winded lungs, Danny inched forward, reaching out a grasping the scratchy fabric before pulling it back to reveal a battered, pale familiar face. Danny wasn't sure if he was filled with overwhelming panic or relief as he reached out to touch the man's shoulder.

_Steve._


	14. Chapter 14

**Whoop, sorry I haven't written in a while, it was my grandmother's birthday today and I've been working on a Star Trek fanfic (movie not TV series though I am a massive sad fan of DS9 and Next Gen) Thank you to Jean25 for the reminder about Catherine and the Coast Guard, I meant to include it last chapter but I will make sure to explain in this one. **

**Also thanks to FlamMabel, Rainey, JuNa-001,LeilaniMolakai, Goldnugget9045, HonoluluGal, mone6890, Aloha Nui Loa, Rebecca, francis2, CindyBeesWax, kimber1461 (and anyone else who I accidently missed out, if I did make sure to review again and tell me so I can add you next Chapter) for reviewing last chapter-they were all amazing and I was seriously so glad to retrieve all of them!**

**Please review!**

_Steve._

Chin sighed deeply as he looked out over the over lapping rocks willing himself to spot some kind of something upon the grey jagged stone. There was a deep wariness in how close they came to the shore; though Chin wanted to get as close as possible so he could see best, he didn't want to put both himself and Duke at risk by making them an easy target if the pirates spotted him. The Governor would not be pleased if not only Steve was missing-presumed-dead but Chin and a highly respected officer in HPD being ransomed off to the State; especially with the whole 'we-don't-negotiate-with-terrorists' rule. Last thing Kono and Danny needed to worry about now was Chin being a damsel in distress.

A cold breeze made the sea waves pick up slightly and Chin felt a shiver run down his back despite the sunshine and he saw that Duke seemed just as on edge. Having both been to the island before and left with many losses and nightmares to haunt their dreams, it wasn't surprising to say they both dreaded even being in such proximity to the deadly island. The rocks cropped up jaggedly and Chin put the binoculars back to his eyes as Duke swooped as close as he dared to the shoreline for what must have been the fourth time in a row. Suddenly there was a dinging sound and Duke pulled the satellite phone from the front and handed it over his shoulder to Chin's already extended hand. Lowering the binoculars, Chin glanced down at the caller before answering as professionally as possible.

"Catherine, is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine…have you found any sign of Steve yet?" the familiar female voice asked, her voice rushed by nerves and anticipation.

Chin sighed deeply and scanned the shoreline for the hundredth time "Nothing yet, I haven't even seen any wreckage from the ship. I'm beginning to think we may have been wrong…"

"Don't give up hope, Chin." Catherine hesitated slightly, her voice thick even down the phone "Please Chin, Steve needs you…Danny has to be right. Has anyone else called in yet?"

"Five minutes till everyone is supposed to check in and if someone had found any sign of Steve they should have called by now." Chin responded calmly, checking his gun was still firmly in its holster as Duke headed out of the shallower water for them to come back around.

Catherine took a second before questioning "Could he be further inland?"

"Perhaps," Chin shrugged slightly, sitting down as the boat bounced on the larger waves "But its unlikely, Steve would probably want to stay on shore and see if he could draw attention; but if he recognises where he is, he could try heading toward the village."

"What about the coast guard? Surely you could use the extra manpower?"

"No," Chin's voice became firmer as endless scenarios played in his head "They would have no idea what they were getting into. We have no Intel on the island and even the Navy satellites won't do much good if they're underground. I'm not going to risk innocent lives like that…no one else is going to die on that island under my orders."

Catherine's voice became quieter, as if she was ashamed for even suggesting such a thing "I understand, I'm sorry…what about Danny?"

"What do you mean: what about Danny?" Chin frowned curiously, tilting his head to Duke who had turned his head at the statement.

"I mean that he has the stretch of coast safe enough to land on; do you not think he's going to get onto that beach to look for his partner? Catherine replied, seemingly surprised by Chin's reaction "Steve means a lot to all of us but especially to Danny; he would do anything to get him back in particularly if he believes that Steve's hurt."

Hearing their conversation, Duke added "He's with one of my officers."

"Mai?" Chin raised his eyebrows and looked at his friend "She's a good cop but she follows her heart rather than her head a lot of the time. I don't think Danny would have to push too hard to get her to help him out. Plus Danny has been spending way too much time with McGarrett; I think he's actually starting to think Steve's SuperSEAL invincibility is rubbing off on him. "

"Exactly. Chin you'll probably have more luck following him. If there's one thing Danny knows how to do it's finding Steve and if there's one thing that Steve has the natural ability of doing it's finding trouble."

Chin gave a frustrated groan as he realised the truthfulness of her words "Any ideas?"

"I'll trace Danny's satellite phone..."There was tapping sound mixed with the crackle of the connection "I can't find it…hmmm…bringing up aerial images of the island…there's Danny's boat…no one's there…I think I read some thermal in the entrance of a cave…three signs."

Chin and Duke looked at one another and a knowing look crossed between them as Duke throttled the engine and they tore off back towards Danny's side of the beach. Fear flared in Chin's heart as they sped over the bumpy waves.

"Thanks Cath, we'll get back to you when we find them."

"_Find them, Chin. Bring them back." Catherine whispered in goodbye before the line cut and Chin let the phone drop to his side._

**So I had massive writer's block for this chapter but I have been planning two more H50 fics (Steve and Danny whump of course) so I'll let you guys know when I post those. Please review xxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys, I know I haven't written in ages but my schedule is getting busy again and you'll have to expect more infrequent posting though I will do my best to keep everything going smoothly, I hate having to wait an age for authors to post because I end up reading loads of other stuff and forgetting the original story. So I posted my other fic 'Partners' and have so far had a massively supportive reaction and I know I have a lot of you to thank for that as many of you are now following that story as well. I really appreciate such amazing reviews and support from all of you, it's fantastic! If you didn't already know, I'm skipping Kono's chapter: one because it would have been really boring as I have no clue what I would have done and it would have just ended with Chin calling Kono for back up and two, a lot of you have been really excited to see our boys meet up after so long and to be honest so am I! Unfortunately this does mean this story isn't going to last much longer but I have Partners now up and I've already got another one planned, not to mention the other like six fics I have going randomly at the moment.**

**To Miahbug (but also to anyone else who feels like a bit of a grammar Nazi but ignores it and carries on reading anyway): You said you read this one as well so I decided it would be easier to reply to your earlier review on Partners. Thank you so much for overlooking my mistakes, I hate grammatical errors as well but I was really tired when I finished last chapter and I read through it this morning and totally scolded myself for those odd mistakes you pointed out. I cannot read fics with bad grammar and spelling-as well as those fics where they seem to forget how to use paragraphs and separate speech between characters or large action scenes-so I totally know where you're coming from. I feel your pain.**

"_Find them, Chin. Bring them back." Catherine whispered in goodbye before the line cut and Chin let the phone drop to his side._

Steve groaned in his half-conscious state, wishing his brain would stop hanging him over the edge of the darkness and just let him forget the pain and sleep. Throughout his years as a SEAL, Steve couldn't remember the last time he hurt this much, a savage aching that reverberated throughout his entire body and rendered him helpless. Never before had Steve felt so _tired_; and the more he begged his body to stop the incessant agony, the more it seemed to prolong, seeping into the depths of his subconscious and leaving him feeling cold and hollow-though never numb. There was the familiar, distant squeak of a rusted metal door, followed by a heavy thump and a gasp of pain. Something about that gasp seemed almost comforting, like Steve had heard it before and Steve wanted to curse as his subconscious realised something he couldn't process and he was dragged further into wakefulness. The bag was still covering his face and though Steve had no quarrel with removing it, he found his muscles too tired to respond to the once simple instruction. Another wave of pain burned through the injury in his side and Steve felt his stomach turn over, the nausea clouding his brain with just the longing to empty his guts on the solid floor. Bile burned in his throat and he was vaguely aware of a scuffling sound, like boots sliding on sandy ground and harsh breaths. It sounded like whoever was in the cell with him had only just realised they weren't alone in the dingy corner. Steve could feel the other person's presence, the heat resonating off them as the crawled toward him warming his skin and for some reason his usual SEAL instincts didn't kick in and tell him that he may be in danger but instead just relaxed.

_For a moment, Steve's eyebrows knotted together in confusion: he's a prisoner, on some unknown island in an underground cave and his gut is now telling him it's all cool? He must have been more beat up than he thought._

The fabric of the van was thin, and Steve could just see the shadowy outline of a hand reaching toward his face, the figure behind panting as though they were out of breath before the hideous fabric was gently pulled away. Despite the darkness of the cell, Steve still had to blink away the spots in his eyes and try to dispel his blurred vision as the outline of a man reared back for a second before practically throwing themselves upon him.

"Steve!"

Frowning, Steve tried to sit up a little and look at the blurry man over him "Danno? Is that really you?"

"Jesus Christ," Danny gushed, his hands hovering over Steve's battered body as if he didn't know what to tend to first "Steve, what the hell happened to you?"

Vision finally clearing to an acceptable level, Steve's eyes raked up and down his partner's dishevelled form; taking in his rumpled suit and messy hair and noting the large blackening bruise that was blossoming across his cheekbone. All in all, Danny didn't look like he was good but Steve had no doubt he looked impeccable in comparison to himself and hated the thought that he was the weaker one in this situation even if he did value his partner's support.

"You know," Steve quipped, leaning heavily on Danny as he helped him sit upright "Finding trouble."

Danny glared at him but couldn't hide the relieved look in his eye "Why am I not surprised…"

"Hey, I keep your life interesting." Steve protested with a weary smile on his face as Danny dragged him a little so he could support his back on the craggy rock-face of a wall behind them.

"Yeah, yeah being blown up and taken captive by pirates is real interesting babe," Danny retorted lightly as he checked that Steve was secure "Now let's patch up some of these cuts and bruises eh? I'm afraid I don't have any band aids with me so you're going to have to be a big boy and deal with some makeshift bandages before we can get you to a hospital."

Steve chuckled weakly and let his head roll against the wall as Danny tore at his trouser leg, pulling away a large piece with a satisfying rip. Finally noticing that Danny was still wearing his Kevlar vest and even had his badge at his belt, Steve pushed his head up a little.

"How did you get here?"

Danny caught Steve's gaze as he tore the fabric expertly in useful strips "By boat Steven, how else? Kono went to check the village and Chin went to the rocky bit on the other side so I got stuck with the unlucky choice…or lucky depending on how you look at it."

With that he leant over and finally saw the jagged metal jutting from Steve's side and hissed in sympathy before stepping over Steve's outstretched legs and crouching down beside the injury; carefully pressing down on it with the fabric in his hands.

"Where are we?" Steve croaked, trying to hide the pain as he automatically flinched at his friend's touch on the agonising wound "Why would only 5-0 be looking for me? Surely I haven't been that much of a pain in the ass; not to the coast guard anyway…"

"Some place Chin called the 'Dead Island' or some other stupidly complicated Hawaiian name; apparently it's absolutely covered with unfriendly criminals and pirates just waiting to sink their teeth into you. Only you could wash up on the only properly dangerous island in Hawaii with people who want nothing more than to put a bullet in you," Danny paused as he examined the wound in his side, his expression growing more concerned "Is this from the boat? Has this been bleeding the entire time?"

Steve felt his eyelids drooping as he fought not to pass out, probably confusing his brain with the mixed messages "Yeah, it's from the explosion but I managed to keep it relatively elevated and out of the water, plus the metal has down a pretty good job of plugging up the enormous hole in my side."

"That it has, babe. You are one lucky SEAL you know that? But never have I been so glad that you actually live up to your nickname."

Realising that there was nothing Danny could do to treat the wound in Steve's side, he instead focussed his attention on bandaging up some of the other abrasions and bandaging the worst of them before settling back down and replacing the pressure on Steve's side.

"You okay Danno?"

Danny looked up at him with a frown "You've got a piece of metal poking out of you and you're asking if I'm okay? Babe, you need to get your priorities straight.

"Danny," Steve said more sternly and gave his partner a knowing look "Stop taking and listen to me. You're off, something else is wrong…is Grace okay? Catherine? Chin? Kono? Come on brother, tell me; I can take it."

"No they're all okay," Danny reassured him, his grip on Steve's side lessening as he naturally went to gesticulate with his hands and had to remind them to be still "It's just…I didn't get a message to them when I found your blood trail; they may have no idea we're in trouble. Plus…I came with this cop and she…"

Steve placed his hand on Danny's shoulder "I get it brother; say no more. Don't worry, she'll get peace and Chin and Kono will find us. Everything is going to be okay."

Danny snorted and shook his head pathetically "Look at me; you're practically half-dead and you're still the one comforting me…don't I feel like a big cop."

"Nothing to be embarrassed about," Steve smirked mischievously, his usual liveliness returning to him heedless of his situation "It's nice to see the more emotional side of Daniel Williams and I though only Grace could inspire such a reaction. It means you care about me."

Danny narrowed his eyes at his partner "Care about you? Of course I care about you! I didn't just come here for the good of my help you know! Without me, we might never have found you!"

"Woah Danny I was kidding!" Steve placated, too tired to raise his hands in a sign of acquiescence "What do you mean without you might never have found me without you? "

Danny blushed, averting his gaze shamefully and despite the poor lighting Steve could see the crimson tint to his cheeks "I…well I-I kinda had this…I wouldn't call it a premonition or anything…but…"

"Wait," Steve scoffed disbelievingly, analysing his partner's expression "Are you saying you had some kind of…dream…about where I was?"

"I wouldn't call it a dream," Danny stammered with an embarrassed tilt of the head "More like memory recall brought on by a head injury."

Steve raised his eyebrows at him and nodded for Danny to continue "So I was just resting on my couch and what do you know…I see you in all your SuperSEAL glory, clinging to this chuck of broken wood and floating into the distance, with this bog island in the background. We did a quick check of the facts using the satellite's and it turned out the current was heading this way, so it was logical to assume that…"

Hearing Danny trail off, Steve looked at him with a mix of wonder and confusion as he slowly shook his head. There were a few moments of silence as Steve processed the information before a larger grin spread over his face.

"So you had a dream about me? Babe, I'm touched…I didn't know you felt that way about me before." Steve teased, his eyes gleaming as Danny's face contorted into the all too familiar 'rant' face.

"I do not have a thing for you Steven, so get that dirty thought out of your head right now! I am completely straight; I've been married-which is more than I can say for you-and I have a beautiful daughter, who is also very worried about you. It was a completely innocent coincidence brought on by stress-"

There was a banging on the bars as the door was thrown open and three heavily armed, masked guards strode inside and dragged the two partners to their feet without uttering a single word. Instantly, Steve slumped in their grip, too feeble to hold his own weight as Danny screamed curses and threats; the bloody rags in his hands falling onto the dusty floor as they were dragged outside their cells and forced to their knees in an empty corner of the cave. In front of them, a man stood casually; his face covered by a bandana and dark sunglasses, his dark skin covered by a dark green tank top and khaki pants and an AK thrown over his shoulder. The three guards stood a few feet behind their prisoners, close enough that they could not miss if they were required to use their weapons but far enough away that they couldn't be jumped.

"So, what have we got here then?" the man asked in a baritone voice, his hands casually clasped on his lap.

"This one's a cop, found him and his partner snooping around the tunnel. We killed her." one of the guards replied, gesturing to Danny.

The man nodded to Danny almost respectfully and Danny's eyes darkened before he turned to Steve "And you?"

"Don't know about him sir, he looked pretty roughed up and was totally out of it when we found him in one of the entrances. I think he's a survivor from the boat that went down, you know, the one on the news."

"You guys watch the news, I'm surprised. I wouldn't think you got satellite coverage out her." Danny said quietly, earning a hard bash around the head that would have sent him sprawling if the attaking guard hadn't tugged him upright.

"Silence." the man intervened sinisterly, than glanced back to Steve. "You name?"

Steve chewed his lip, feeling his partner bristle beside him in warning. The man stared at him for a moment before stepping forward and giving him a sharp kick in the side; right on the chunk of metal, driving it further into his body.

Steve fought back a scream, releasing a torrent of air and an agonising groan as he felt the metal push in further and his stomach betrayed him. He vomited up the bile, choking on the acidic liquid as the man grabbed his matted dark hair and pulled his head back so that he was looking into his eyes. Danny shouted out to Steve and jumped up to assist only to be kicked in the back so that he landed face first on the floor and he was pinned by someone's leg on his back. Squirming, Danny tried to break free but another guard stepped forward and stomped on his outstretched hand, twisting his foot and grinding his heel onto the bones with a sickening crunch. Danny cried out as his hand was broken and Steve managed to gasp out a strangled "Please!" before the guards were waved off and Danny was released and pulled to his knees again, clutching his hand protectively against his chest as he hissed in obvious agony.

" ." the man threatened again, tugging at Steve's hair and he winced instinctively.

When still he did not reply, the man let go of Steve's hair and his head dropped at the sudden control of its weight before sitting straighter again. The man looked at the two of them for a few tense moments, before donning a look of acceptance and passing them, heading behind the small group.

"Kill them." he stated flippantly as he strode past, heading for the exit behind them.

The two partners heard the clicking of guns behind them and managed one final farewell glance toward one another-Steve's underlined with apology and Danny's with forgiveness – before Steve mouthed 'I love you brother' and Danny nodded in reply. They turned their heads away to look at the wall, taking deep breaths as they closed theirs eyes and waited for the inevitable end to come.

_The gunfire was deafeningly loud as it filled the cave before the room fell silent._


	16. Chapter 16

**I am so sorry this took so long struggling to write and I'm sure you guys would rather have a good late chapter than a terrible on time one. School starts on Wednesday which means that it's unlikely posting will continue to be quite as regular as normal so think of this as preparation. I loved all of your comments last chapter, I'm so glad you guys liked the cliff-hanger as I'm not sure I have done any big ones in this story and so I'm glad you were all impressed. So here is the long awaited continuation of our boys' fate…**

_The gunfire was deafeningly loud as it filled the cave before the room fell silent._

Kono took a moment to spot Chin and Duke as they were carefully positioned so that they were relatively out of sight on the open beach, making sure that there was some cover to dive into nearby should the need arise. Quietly, she instructed the officer with her to bring them in slowly and halt them beside Danny's empty boat before she hurriedly leapt out; keeping low to the ground as she crossed the space between the ocean and her cousins hiding spot. It wasn't particularly well protected but it did have the best view of the cave entrance and they wouldn't be noticed unless someone specifically studied the area closely. Chin had called in with a quick summary of events and Kono already had a pretty good idea of what had happened though she could only speculate where Danny was right now.

Duke turned to face the two as they approached; his face grim "Lieutenant Rollins told us that there were three life signs near the entrance of that cave, but we haven't been able to identify who they are."

"Couldn't it just be Steve, Danny and Officer Li?" Kono inquired nervously, scanning the area around the entrance for any sign of life "Maybe Steve's too badly injured to move and they're just waiting for us to catch on and come help."

"I've known Mai for a long time now and she may be impulsive but she's not stupid; she would have called us if she had found Steve and to my knowledge she has never left her radio whilst on duty." Duke replied and Kono could hear the underlying fear in his voice.

"So who are they then?" Officer Palani spoke over Kono's shoulder, the young man looking increasingly nervous as he listened to his superiors' conversation.

Chin's expression darkened and his lips became tight "It may be pirates which means that Danny and Mai are likely in serious trouble."

"What's the plan then, cuz?" Kono inquired, raising her eyebrows at Chin as he glanced over at the cliff edge.

"We go in," Chin stated determinedly, his jaw set and rigid "Sneak in and out, quiet as possible; we can't risk Mai and Danny being in there for any longer."

The others all nodded in acceptance "Agreed."

After a couple of minutes preparation as they all readied themselves and clicked their weapons off safety, removing them from their holsters. With a brief nod of acknowledgment, the group burst from cover and headed across the open sand, keeping in a low crouch as they hurried toward the dark circle in a single line; Chin in front, followed by Duke then Kono and Palani bringing up the rear. The group split into two and stopped either side of the entrance before they silently filtered in, sticking to the wall on their respective sides as they tried to see beyond the corners of the craggy rock face. A light flickered in the darkness of the tunnel and the officers cautiously stepped toward it, checking the corners as they rounded into a larger space. Three men were having some kind of argument in a foreign language Kono couldn't identify, standing over a dark shadow that lay motionlessly on the floor. The smell of blood hit Kono an instant later, and her heart caught in her throat at the reality of what they were watching; something she had seen so many times before. That shadow was a corpse. Her breath caught in her throat as she squinted in the pale light, trying to identify who the unlucky person was and she prayed desperately not to see Danny's messy blond hair. Chin pushed forwards and they fired at the men, knowing it was too dangerous to risk setting off an alarm and getting caught and the men went down in a matter of seconds without much noise.

Kono practically sprinted over to the figure, kicking away the assailants guns more out of habit than anything before bending down and rolling the slumped figure over so that she could see their face. She couldn't help but release a relieved sigh when the dull eyes of a lifeless Hawaiian woman stared back at her.

"It's Mai," Kono was careful to hide the relief in her voice "She's still warm, she hasn't been dead long."

Duke and Palani's faces fell and Chin looked at Kono sadly, warning her to be careful now. With a frustrated groan, Duke fell against the wall while Palani approached Kono solemnly; his skin turning slightly green when he spotted the blood and he slowly bent down, tears in his eyes.

"We need to get moving, Danny may still be alive." Chin interrupted gently, looking nervously down the corridor.

Duke nodded half-heartedly, taking in a deep breath before going over to Mai and crouching down beside her; taking her badge from her belt and closing her eyelids so she looked more peaceful. They had a few moments of contemplative silence before resuming their exploration of the tunnels. Soon enough they heard the muffled hubbub of voices and the group hid behind the walls, listening in.

"…think you got satellite coverage out here."

Kono couldn't mistake that voice. It was definitely Danny's sarcastic rant voice that he specifically reserved for bad guys and Stan. Why he would be talking about satellite coverage though, Kono had no clue but if it kept him alive she wouldn't care if he was talking to them about rainbows and unicorns. She peeked around the corner and spotted three guards and the back of Danny's head before Kono quickly ducked back in case the man who Danny was talking to, spotted her.

"Silence." The man paused sinisterly "Your name?"

Opposite her, Chin frowned in confusion before he quickly leant around the corner from his vantage point before he turned back to her with a shocked look on his face and mouthed 'There's someone else there.' To which Kono nodded in acknowledgement and mimed back 'Steve?' But Chin shook his head and shrugged with a doubtful look and just listened in to the conversation.

There was the sound of movement and a strangled, painful scream that had Kono's stomach lurching; there was something familiar in the pained cry that made shivers run up her spine. Chin and Duke seemed to have similar reactions and they all looked to Chin uncertainly, awaiting his order to intervene but he motioned for them to wait; uncertainty on his face. A choking sound followed, as though someone was retching or throwing up and there was the sound of scuffling; frantic movements in the dust before a resounding crunch and a voice that was unmistakably Danny's shrieked in agony.

"Please!"

Now Kono was breathing fast and heavy, trying to settle her thumping heart as tears sprang to her eyes at Steve's begging voice. Duke's eyes widened but Chin still made them wait, obviously doubtful that the situation would go down well going in blind. He was waiting for an opportunity; Kono just hoped he wouldn't leave it too late.

"Your. Name." the unknown man demanded for a second time and Kono took a deep intake of breath, unsure what would happen next and her mind racing through possible outcomes faster than she could think.

Again there was a tense silence for several moments before there was the crunch of footsteps and Palani jumped backwards a little nervously.

"Kill them."

Kono gasped and they all froze and the suddenness of the order, only to be awoken by the sound of guns clicking as they were flicked off safety. In a brief second, both Chin and Kono had ducked around the corner; Kono shooting the man heading toward them directly in the chest whilst the others-who had now caught up with the 5-0 partners- fired upon the guards as they span around to defend themselves. There was a muffled cry of pain and the two kneeled figures fell down onto their stomachs and lay still in the dirt as the bullets let fly and one of the dying guards finger's twitched on the trigger; sending gunshots ricocheting off of the walls. Terrified at their sudden stillness, Kono practically leapt toward them, bending down next to the fallen blond detective.

"Danny! Danny, are you okay?!" she screeched, shaking him desperately and rolling him over so that she could see his face.

Danny sat up slowly, clutching his arm and wincing "Ahhhh…I think I got shot; but I'm okay. Steve?"

They both looked over to see Steve just lying still on the ground, his face turned away from them as he lay on the ground. Seeing that Steve was unresponsive, Chin motioned for Kono to look after Danny as he slid to his knees beside the ex-SEAL and gently pushed him over, careful not to aggravate any of his injuries as he did so. The SEAL rolled over with a hissed intake of breath and blinked blearily at his friend. Danny clambered onto his hands and knees, scooting across the floor with his injured arm pressed tightly against himself as he wobbled over to the two.

"Babe? Can you hear me, Steve?"

The SEAL nodded slowly, breathing in short pants as he obviously struggled to stay conscious and Chin grabbed his comrade's hand and measured the pulse on his wrist. By the look on his face; Kono could tell it wasn't good.

Danny almost fell over as he sat heavily down beside his partner "Did you get hit?"

"N-No…"Steve wheezed, his voice barely above a whisper "I-I think the metal…c-cut my lung…I c-can't b-breathe."

Already Kono could see the bluish tint that was slowly creeping across his lips and the ashen grey colour of Steve's face and she bent down by his head, lifting it gently into her lap so that he had a little more room to breathe whilst she stroked his head comfortingly. Danny seemed panicked by the whole situation and was waving his hands around urgently; knowing he had to do something but having no clue what. Duke came rushing back in, his radio still in his hand with Palani following cautiously behind as he searched the corners of the room searching for any sign of another attacker drawn by the gunfire.

"I just called Army Evac; they're sending in a team with armed protection in case they come under fire."

Chin bobbed his head appreciatively before leaning down to inspect the metal in Steve's side and grimacing "It's in pretty deep; I can't risk pulling it out and doing more damage."

"Come on Steve," Kono whispered reassuringly, tears escaping from the corners of her eyes "All you have to do is try your hardest to keep breathing until the medics get here, okay?"

Steve opened his mouth to accept but Danny stopped him "Don't speak, babe; conserve the oxygen. Just concentrate on breathing and we will be with you the whole way…don't give up on us Steven."

Steve blinked a couple of times to show he had understood their message before he raised his hand painfully slowly and gripped Danny's good one; sharing with them a soft relieved smile as he let hot tears streak down his dirty, blood stained cheeks; leaving clean tracks of grey skin visible. All the time, Kono muttered calming things to the older man while Danny occasionally added his own encouraging messages to the mix. Finally, Palani came rushing in followed by a couple of paramedics in camouflage gear and Kono saw Danny squeeze Steve's hand as they watched the medics approach.

"See babe, we're going to get you all fixed up; everything's going to be fine."

When there was no weak compression on his Danny's own hand, Danny and Kono both looked down to see Steve's face slack; his eyes closed and head tilted to the side.

Kono tapped Steve's cheek lightly, her heartbeat escalating "Boss? Steve? Open your eyes!"

"Babe?" Danny begged, his voice choked with tears "Steve, talk to us! Please!"

"Move! Move!" one of the medics yelled, gently pushing Danny aside as they bent down and began their work.

"I haven't got a pulse."

"Starting CPR. Get me an oxygen mask, we need paddles!"

The two men worked with professional brilliance that only came with practice and they waved their hands for Kono to move as she gently lay Steve's head down and hurriedly backed away as one of the paramedics placed an oxygen mask over Steve's face then proceeded to take equipment from their bag. As the first medic continued to pump down rhythmically on Steve's chest, the second paramedic set up the defibrillator before gesturing that he was ready and placing the two metal faces strategically on his bare chest.

"Clear!"

Steve's body jerked.

"Again."

"Clear!"

_Kono held Danny close and they allowed the tears to openly fall down their faces as they watched on helplessly._


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone, sorry for the long time between posting, alas school has taken over my life once again but luckily I haven't had too much homework lately. Thank you for all your amazing reviews and it always makes my gloomy day seem worth it when I read them. Please enjoy and review.**

_Kono held Danny close and they allowed the tears to openly fall down their faces as they watched on helplessly._

Danny felt sick.

The pain flaring through his hand-now covered in a scratchy white cast that rubbed away Danny's skin-and his mind was still fuzzy from the anaesthetic he had been given for his operation. Apparently the bones in his hand had been severely damaged and had required extensive surgery as soon as they had landed off the Army Evac helicopter; so Danny had been rushed one way and Steve, the other. To be honest, Danny didn't remember much, having been given some hefty drugs and being completely preoccupied by his partner's dire situation but he did know that he had caused the doctors and nurses a lot of trouble when he and Steve had been separated once again, and Chin had spent nearly half an hour trying to convince Danny to settle down and go to the operating theatre. A few hours later, Danny had awoken to find his hand in a cast and Kono sat beside him with tears streaking down her cheeks and the news that Steve was still being operated on. Now though, he was confined to a crisp, soft hospital blood with strict instructions to rest and not leave his bed; and even sterner instructions not to sneak off to see Steve, who was currently resting in the ICU under the watchful eye of Chin and the Governor's personal medical team. Kono assured Danny that Steve was being given the best care possible and that there was nothing he could do; Steve just had to rest and recuperate from his ordeal. The kind words never made Danny feel any better though and he argued every chance he got to be allowed some freedom from his bare room but neither his doctor nor Kono ever showed any signs of resigning to his constant moaning.

Danny's head still throbbed from the concussion he had been swiftly diagnosed with, and no amount of morphine was making the pain any less intense; giving the nurses yet more logical arguments as to why Danny had to stay in bed where they could observe him. No matter how hard he tried, Danny couldn't even drift off into a restless sleep and instead he lay on his pillow in the darkened room; eyes wide open, breathing heavily and an insurmountable amount of boredom and stress resting on his tired shoulders. Whenever he close his eyes all he could see were random fleeting images of Steve-both good and bad- reminding him that his best friend was lying in a bed possible dying and he was lazing in a cot because of a mild concussion and a little cast on his hand. It didn't seem fair and it made Danny feel all the more guilty as he picked at the plaster encircling his hand. Kono had left so that Danny could get some sleep but Danny knew that she wouldn't stray too far from the doorway in case he tried to sneak away in her absence. Danny didn't blame her though, if she hadn't been there he most certainly would of, and he knew he would have done the same thing of their positions were reversed. It was still frustrating though and Danny couldn't stop cursing under his breath every so often and letting the angry tears slip down his cheeks whenever the pain or vexation became too much. In a way, Kono was doing him a favour by leaving him alone to just release. Things had been happening in a whirlwind over the last few days and Danny would never have been able to expel all this raw emotion if someone was watching his every move and she would have been more of a hindrance than a help if she had stayed by his bedside. Not to mention the fact that Danny had no doubt he would have said something he would have regretted later to her. Insulting nurses was okay, they were used to aggressive patients and there was never anything personal to the insane accusations and threats; plus after this was all over, Danny could just come back with a gift and apologise. But with a friend… the knife always dug in deeper and the wounds always took longer to heal; nothing you said to them is ever truly forgotten, no matter the context or the reasoning. Danny had learnt that the hard way a long time ago.

There was a soft creak and a chink of light feel across Danny's face as the door was pushed slightly ajar. For a second, Danny debated pretending to be asleep so that he could get a few more moments of peace and quiet but he felt that if he was alone any longer he might go insane; and instead squinted against the harsh light, ignoring the stabbing agony in his brain. A shadow fell across the doorway and slowly the figure crept in, a larger outline taking its place outside the door.

"Danno?" a quiet voice asked uncertainly, steadily stepping toward him "Are you awake?"

Danny couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips "It's okay Monkey, I'm wide awake. Come on in."

Not needing to be told twice, Gracie Williams leapt up onto her father's bed and circled him in a tight embrace, burying her face into his shoulder as she began to weep.

"Don't ever do that again Daddy!" she squeezed him harder in punishment, though to Danny it felt more like a blessing "Promise you won't ever scare me like that ever again!"

The ten year old pulled back so that she could look into Danny's eyes and Danny was shocked to see how grown up she looked; her hair tied neatly back as she looked at him with a wisdom far beyond her years. Grace knew exactly what was going on and no longer could Danny hide all those horrible truths he had spent so long trying to protect her from. It saddened Danny to think that she wouldn't be that sweet, innocent little girl much longer; that her experiences with him had taught her things that she shouldn't have learned for years to come. Wiping away a hot tear from his daughter's cheek, Danny placed his forehead against hers in a comforting gesture that they had done for years; enjoying her summery breath on his face before he closed his eyes.

"I am so sorry Gracie. So, so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, I swear." Danny struggled to keep his voice from breaking as the young girl flung herself against him once more and sobbed openly now, her entire body shaking from the heart breaking force.

She coughed wetly, gripping the bag of his hospital gown tightly in her fingers "I-I thought I was going to lose you. Y-you just left t-to save U-uncle St-steve and I was s-so afraid. I-I knew s-something was wr-wrong; I-I should have stay-ed with you. I-I'm so sorry!"

"No, no Gracie you have nothing to be sorry about," Danny whispered as he listened to his child's muffled wailing and he rocked her back and forth like he did she was little "Danno, wouldn't ever leave you alone okay baby. I would never ever abandon you and I am not going anywhere, you hear? I am always going to be here for you. You are the one thing in my life that I am truly proud of and no matter what happens I will never let you go. You are my life, Gracie and I would never even dream of hurting you."

The little girl nodded but remained silent and the pair cried till their tears were dry, throats sore from howling and cheeks raw from the constant flood of tears. Finally, Gracie gave a final soft hiccup and carefully sat back from her father, though she clutched his hand in her own and wiped the remaining liquid from her eyes with a sniffle.

"Thank you."

Danny gave a sad smile and wiped a stray lock of face back behind her ear "No problem, Monkey. Danno's are good for crying. You get your emotional side from my part of the family."

"I beg to differ," a serener voice interrupted and Danny looked up to see Rachel hovering in the doorway, her own silent tears trickling from her watery eyes.

Holding a hand out in invitation, Danny looked fondly at her before she stepped further into the room, intertwining her fingers in his and falling into a crouch at his bedside. Danny shook his head, and patted the edge of the bed as Gracie settled across Danny's chest; her head resting on his shoulder as she sat staring at her mother expectantly. Rachel chuckled softly before taking a seat beside Danny and huddling alongside him; the family squished together on the tiny bed as they embraced one another, just enjoying each other's presence. Though Rachel and Danny exchanged no words, it was obvious their feelings and intentions and there was no tense awkwardness between them as Danny pulled Rachel closer toward him and she kissed him lovingly on the cheek.

_When Kono glanced in to check on the group, she grinned as she saw the family of three sleeping comfortably in each other's arms; a look of contentment across Danny's face._

**So the whole conversation between Gracie and Danny is drawn from personal experience, a moment between my elder sister and I that I think despite the difference in context, it fitted quite nicely with the situation and both Grace and Danny's relationship. I know I haven't mentioned much about how Steve's doing but I love Danno and I think there needs to be a little ray of sunshine in this otherwise depressing story and Danny deserves it more than anyone else in this series, because in my opinion he has so much personal family issues to deal with alongside his Crazy, badass SEAL and the rest of 5-0. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise I will tell you how Steve's doing next time. This chapter brought tears to my eyes purely because it reminded me of my time with my sister and I hope I've had a similar effect on all you other readers xxx Please review and tell me what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I haven't posted in like two weeks and I am so, so sorry it has taken so long. It is killing me not writing, having to keep all these ideas penned up inside because I have a pile of homework that is apparently 'more important' (which I must agree it is despite my obvious hostilities). However I refuse to hang up my pen because writing for all you fantastic reader's is my form of stress relief and despite my now incredibly irregular updates, you never pressurise me into updating and for that I truly thank you. I just hope you guys continue to enjoy and keep reading, and if it doesn't inconvenience you too much, just leave me a review with a comment, however critical or encouraging. Thanks so much!**

_When Kono glanced in to check on the group, she grinned as she saw the family of three sleeping comfortably in each other's arms; a look of contentment across Danny's face._

Chin rubbed his temples tensely, trying to dispel the stress headache that had built up over the past few hours; his entire body exhausted from the constant pacing and emotional trauma that had been repeating over the last few hours. It didn't help that Danny was also injured and although he was in considerably better condition than Steve, Chin couldn't help but be worried that the partners' infamous bad luck would cause yet more problems for the weary members of 5-0. Chin didn't think he could handle any more bad news for at least another week, but again the fates would probably intervene and Kono would catch some kind of deadly virus or the world would end. Either way Chin wasn't exactly looking forward to the months ahead, knowing full well that Steve would not take the news that he would be unable to return to active duty for at least a few months. That was the one good thing that had happened in this entire mess, the doctors had treated Steve just in time and though the Navy SEAL had a close call, he would ultimately recover with a few months and careful physical therapy. Though careful may not come into it, Chin had no doubt that Steve would leap into his treatment; if only to rid himself of the boredom that seemed to plague Steve whenever he wasn't raiding and chasing after dangerous criminals.

Currently, Chin's boss was asleep on the white hospital bed in front of him; resting after the intensive surgery and sleeping off the lingering anaesthetic. The younger man looked brighter than before, the colour returning to his cheeks as he lay peacefully on the mattress; all the angst and worry gone from his face as he was lost in a dreamless, exhausted sleep. To be truthful, Chin didn't blame him; he had no doubt that the SEAL had gone to Hell and back in only a short space of time and it was a miracle the poor guy had come back in one piece. What was it with Steve and finding trouble? Was he lucky for even getting back alive or unlucky for finding himself in those situations in the first place? Chin had no clue. But right now, he was just grateful that Steve lived through the harrowing experience so they could once again go back to being in their strange and fantastic Ohana. Chin couldn't bear to think what life would be like 5-0; although he would be readily accepted back into HPD with his Lieutenant status, it wouldn't be the same as when he was with his team, really doing what he enjoyed without the hassle of sticking with strict protocol. At least Chin seemed actually relatively sensible compared to Steve, Kono and Danny; but to a bunch of HPD born and bred detectives he would be a complete nutcase. If Steve and Danny ever joined the police force-no matter how closely they worked with HPD-they would have probably driven their superiors insane with their crazy antics and ridiculous arguments that sometimes sent even Kono crawling up the walls in an attempt to escape. The poor officers of HPD would never stand a chance.

Chin chuckled at the thought but before he could move through another tangled knot of ideas that were circulating around his tired mind, a groan broke through the quiet. Freezing, Chin looked up at the bed to see Steve's eyes flicker open. Before Chin could speak, Steve was sat bolt upright in bed, tearing out IV's and other medical lines desperately and jumped out of bed; stumbling as his legs gave out beneath him.

"Steve!" Chin cried urgently, throwing himself forward to intercept his friend as the SEAL staggered toward the door trying to get his bearings "Steve stop, you're okay brah!"

Before Chin could even touch his boss, Steve had whipped around and grabbed his wrist; throwing him painfully over his shoulder and holding him in an agonising arm lock. But Steve hesitated, readjusting his grip and placing Chin in a choke hold that left him gasping for breath and unable to speak. Steve hissed in pain and his hold loosened as he realised he was tugging at the stitches in his side and the drugs began to wear off from the sudden physical activity. The loss of pressure meant that Chin could take a short intake of breath.

"Steve! It's me! Chin!" he gasped weakly, prying at Steve's muscled arm as he tried not to hurt his confused friend.

Finally Steve's arm released Chin and he fell forward slightly, coughing against his crushed windpipe. Steve fell backwards away from Chin, a shocked and confused expression on his face as he clutched at his injured and heavily bandaged side.

"C-Chin?" the younger man croaked his voice low and raspy.

Ignoring his own discomfort, Chin pushed himself up and moved over to Steve "It's okay Steve, you're in hospital. We found you and Danny but you were badly hurt. We need to get you back into bed."

Chin tried to keep his explanation short and sweet, easy to understand despite Steve's muddled senses. Understanding, Steve obligingly lifted his arm and Chin hooked his own arm under his shoulder and lifted the younger man to his feet before carefully edging him over to the bed and planting him down upon it. Pressing the call button, Chin help Steve get comfortable and rubbed his friend's shoulder sympathetically as he winced in obvious pain.

"Sorry Chin," Steve murmured softly, shifting into a sitting position with the pillow behind his back "I didn't mean to hurt you?"

Chin waved off his concerns "I'm fine honestly; I should have expected that you would be disorientated when you woke up- I was kind of in my own world. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I won't lie; it hurts like a bitch." Steve gave Chin a small smile and Chin couldn't help but smile back.

"The doctors were worried you'd struggle to move," Chin said calmly, sitting back down with a relieved sigh "After that little incident I don't think they have anything to worry about. I am surprised though."

Steve frowned curiously "About what?"

"I didn't think you'd try to escape quite so early, I mean…" Chin's voice trailed off as he glanced at his watch "You can't have been awake and coherent for more than five minutes and you're already trying to leave."

"I hate hospitals." Steve grinned in amusement as a nurse finally entered the room and gasped at the loose equipment.

"What happened?" she asked with an elevated squeak in her voice as she rushed over to reinsert all of the loose wires.

Chin and Steve exchanged a look "That is what happens when you drug a SEAL and leave him in an unfamiliar room. Hell hath no fury like a Navy SEAL's scorn."

"You trashed the place?!" the nurse yelled incredulously, looking at Steve then back to Chin as though she didn't quite believe that Steve could have done so much damage-by himself at least- in his current state.

"I'm really sorry," Steve apologised, sounding a lot more sincere than Chin had "It was accident. I was a little bit confused."

The nurse smile appreciatively and Chin wondered if that caring look was because she was attracted to him "No problem Commander, it's only a small thing. As long as you haven't hurt yourself; how do you feel?"

"I'm feeling good, thanks." Steve flashed his perfect white teeth "Do you mind lowering my morphine volume though? To avoid a repeat of a few minutes ago."

"I'll go ask Doctor Matthews okay? He should be here shortly to check on you." With that the nurse finished her duties and left the room, leaving Chin and Steve alone once more.

"How do you do that?" Chin asked nonchalantly, scrutinising his friend and frowning in disbelief.

"Do what?"

"Make every girl that looks at you swoon like you're some kind of blessing from the gods."

Steve grinned wolfishly and winked "I'm just that amazing. I'm not called SuperSEAL for nothing, you know."

"Right." Chin smirked and nodded his head in acceptance; leaning back in his seat and yawning.

"How's Danny?" Steve asked after a few moments, looking up at Chin with a slightly worried scowl.

Chin rubbed his face and sighed "Don't worry Steve, he's fine. Kono's with him at the moment in his hospital room; he took a pretty nasty knock to the head so the doctors are keeping him under observation. That and he broke his hand so he was still recovering from surgery but if it makes you feel any better he's been giving everyone a hard time about not being able to see you."

Steve yawned himself, and leant back; adjusting his pillow so he could lay back a bit more and his eyes drooped wearily. Chin snorted and stood up, heading over to the window and adjusting the blinds so it was a bit darker.

"What are you doing?" Steve mumbled, his voice gently and quiet with sleepiness.

"You know it's not a crime to get some rest-even for a Navy SEAL-; you just had a life-saving operation and I highly doubt you've got some sleep during the whole boat sinking episode. You're only human Steve, and no one will think any less of you."

Steve closed his eyes and let his head roll back "Don't tell Danny; I want it to seem like I'm getting better faster than him."

"You're turning your recovery into a competition?"

Steve just smiled and didn't reply, settling back into the pillow and pretty soon Chin could hear him snoring softly, his face calm and contented as he finally rested peacefully knowing he was at last safe from danger. Deeming it secure to leave and check on the others, Chin tiptoed over to the door and disappeared into the corridor; checking over his shoulder one last time to make sure that Steve was safe.

_Things were finally getting better._

**I don't think there's going to be anymore whumpage in the last couple of chapters purely because I've tortured Steve enough for my heart to be contented; after all, at the moment he's being double whumped because of Partners! Next Chapter will be from Steve's perspective and of course it will be the meeting between our two favourite boys. Not sure how I want it to turn out so I'm taking suggestions and I guess we'll all find out together because I just write most of these chapters off the top of my head so when I start writing I have no more idea of what's going to happen than you guys do! Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review and tell me what you think!**


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